A Certain Electric Trainer
by Darkbetrayer
Summary: Welcome to the Nelos region. A new uncharted region full of Pokémon from all over the world. This area has attracted attention from the other regions and a large metropolis called Academy City has been created to research Nelos' unique history. One female student has just started her Pokémon journey and meets an unfortunate boy. Index characters in the world of Pokémon.
1. An Electric Start

**Some people may know me as a big fan of Toaru Majutsu no Index, but I like a lot of other things too. One of those things is Pokémon. My friends and I argue a lot about which Pokémon is the best and they do not understand that Eevee is the best one. Anyways, I always wanted to do a crossover between Index and Pokémon, hence this story. I do not have experience in the Aloha region, so do not expect Pokémon from there. Now, this follows the characters from Toaru Majutsu no Index in the Pokémon world, so if you have no read Index, you will be confused. This story is not following the main characters from Pokémon. I wanted to add this disclaimer because I know some people might get the wrong first impression.**

 **This is my first crossover and I hope you all enjoy it. As this is a side project, it will not have a set release schedule. I write it in between of my main stories when I'm in a rut or need a break.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or Pokémon. I wish I did so I can retire rich.**

* * *

The Nelos region was an unusual location in the world full of strange creatures known as Pokémon, creatures that have lived side by side with humans as long as anyone could remember. Many regions existed in the world and each one had Pokémon unique only to them. The reason the Nelos region was so special was because it was an area Pokémon had gathered from all over the rest of the world. Due to this unusual phenomenon, several Pokémon research centers had set up laboratories to study the history of the uncharted region, along with the Pokémon that inhabited it. Once they had established a small town, trainers from all over the world started to arrive to catch and train Pokémon they normally would have never encounter. The surge of people wanting to travel to the new region caused many businesses to set up shop and the once small research outpost become a large and thriving costal city.

The first city became known as Academy City.

This metropolis not only contained some of the most advance research in the world, but also some of the largest Pokémon schools. With the large number of people moving into the city, a lot of young children, who were not old enough to go out into the world, also arrived. They attended school to learn the skills they desired to achieve their dreams. Some wanted to become Pokémon trainers, some wanted to become scientists, and many others wanted to travel down a completely different path. Even though they could not become trainers yet, once they reached a certain age, they could choose from one of dozens of starters Pokémon. This was to give them an idea on what Pokémon were like and allowed them a chance to start raising their own under careful supervision. Since the city was connected to all the other regions, the students had a much larger variety of starters to choose from. One girl was even able to choose a rare Pokémon that many did not get a chance to see.

This girl was also not in class, but had skipped her lessons to venture into the nearby forest.

"Whew," the girl mumbled and wiped the sweat from her brow. The girl had short chestnut colored hair, held in place with a small hairclip, decorated with two flowers, on her right side and looked to be around fourteen years old. She was wearing a pair of brown shorts, a black t-shirt, a white baseball hat, and a green backpack. Her name was Mikoto Misaka and she was a student of Academy City. She sat down on a log and looked out across the open field. She was right on the border of the forest and was taking a slight break. A couple Tranquills and Fletchlings, small bird Pokémon, were flying above her in the nice sunny day. A couple Poochyena, small grey canine Pokémon, were playing around and chasing each other. Several different bug types were crawling around in the trees behind her, but did not disturb her. It was peaceful compared to the hustle and bustle of the city. "I think we deserve a break, right Pikachu?"

"Pika!" the small Pokémon next to her said. Pikachu was a short, yellow rodent Pokémon. It was covered in yellow fur with two horizontal brown stripes on its back. It had a small mouth, long, pointed ears with black tips, brown eyes, and two red circles on its cheeks. The pouches inside its cheeks stored electricity and occasionally gave off small sparks. It has short forearms with five fingers on each paw, and its feet each had three toes. At the base of its lightning bolt-shaped tail was patch of brown fur at the base. Mikoto loved electric Pokémon and as soon as she saw Pikachu was a choice for her starter, she immediately chose it.

"How about a quick snack?" Mikoto suggested and pulled out a small bag from her backpack. Pikachu's ears twitched and it jumped up onto the log next to her. "Just one though." She passed over a brightly colored berry and Pikachu grabbed it instantly, bit into it, and looked like it was in heaven. "Heh, you are too cute." While Pikachu was eating, Mikoto thought about what she wanted to do. The reason she skipped class was because she had heard a rumor that a couple of Pokémon she wanted to catch were sighted in the vicinity recently, Plusle and Minun. Mikoto couldn't be entirely sure if the rumors were true, but she couldn't afford to wait. Every day increased the chances they would move on.

The sound of someone screaming snapped her back to reality. She bolted up to her feet and look around wildly for the source.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled out in alarmed.

"I heard it!" Mikoto cried. "There, look!" She pointed in the distance where a dust cloud was coming from. She squinted her eyes and saw two figures running in front of the cloud as fast as they could go. One was a human male with spikey black hair, who was probably only a year or two older than her. A Pokémon, who Mikoto assumed was the boy's, was running next to him... She had never seen that particular Pokémon before. It was a large, bipedal dark-gray dinosaur-like Pokémon. It had a blue dome head, which obstructed its red eyes, and blue stripes, with one on its tail and one on each of its knees and wrists. Various spikes covered its body, one on each knee, two on the blue collar on its neck, two short ones on its nose, and four on its head. Two of these head spikes are bigger than the other two. Mikoto was about to pull out her Pokedex, a small handheld device that identified Pokémon, when she heard the boy crying out in panic to the dust cloud.

"I'm sorry!" the boy was yelling over his shoulder. "We didn't mean to upset you! Rampardos gets a little eager!"

"Rampard!" Based on its tone, Rampardos did not sound like it was sorry. It actually sounded like it was having fun, despite the situation. They started to close in on Mikoto and Pikachu, when Mikoto realized what the boy was running from.

The boy was being chased by at least twenty Rhyhorns.

Rhyhorns were rhinoceros-like creature with their bodies covered in gray, rocky plates. Its underside and rear were smooth, and it had four short legs with two claws on each foot. It had a triangular head with narrow, red eyes, two fangs protruding from its upper jaw, and small, triangular openings on the upper sides. A spiked ridge ran along its back, and it had a single short horn on the tip of its snout. In addition to its rocky hide, its bones were a thousand times harder than human bones. Whatever the boy and his Pokémon did to anger them, a Rhyhorn stampede would crush them flatter than a pancake. Mikoto wasn't sure if they would get out of that situation, but then she noticed another problem.

The boy was running right at her!

The boy finally noticed her and waved to grab her attention. "HEY! Retreat into the woods! They can't follow us once the trees get to thick!" Mikoto's mouth fell open at the sheer stupidity of this predicament, until a tug on her leg brought her back to her senses. Pikachu was tugging on her leg to get her to move out of the way. She blinked, turned around, and ran into the woods with Pikachu, as the boy and his Pokémon followed right behind her. All of them slipped through trees and slid down an incline as fast as they could. They heard the heavy thuds of the Rhyhorns' footprints get softer and softer until they disappeared into the distance. The Rhyhorns must have swerved to the side instead of smashing through the trees. When Mikoto and the boy were sure they were safe from being crushed, they stopped to catch their breath. Mikoto looked up at the boy and glared angrily.

"What was that about?"! she demanded, as she pulled out her red handheld Pokedex. Mikoto held it up to the boy's Pokémon and the screen flashed its picture. She had not forgotten she wanted to know what the boy's Pokémon was.

"Rampardos," the Pokedex said in its mechanical voice. "The Head Butt Pokémon, and the evolved form of Cranidos. Its Headbutt attack is so powerful that it can pulverize even the sturdiest of objects with one hit."

"Sorry about that," the boy apologized to her. "Rampardos gets full of energy when we are stuck in the city for too long, so we have to come out here periodically to blow some of it off. We use all the boulders near the river to practice his Headbutt. He got a little overexcited and accidently hit one of the Rhyhorns."

"What happened then?" Mikoto asked, unable to prevent a slight smirk on her face.

"The Rhyhorn went flying about twenty feet…"

"Rampardos!" Rampardos added in an almost bragging tone.

"…then my bad luck kicked in and that particular Rhyhorn must have been the leader of the group. All the other ones turned on us and we ran for our lives." He sighed. "Such misfortune." Mikoto blinked.

"Regardless," Mikoto replied. "How could you have been so stupid to direct a stampede at someone? We could have been hurt." She gestured to her Pikachu, who had crossed its arm and nodded.

"I'm sorry," the boy apologized again and clasped his hands together in front of him. "I didn't see you until it was too late. I would never purposely put a little girl in harm's way."

"Little girl?" Mikoto replied slowly and unconsciously put a hand on her chest. The boy couldn't have known how she would have taken those words. The boy obviously meant a girl younger than him, but Mikoto took it to mean something else entirely. Mikoto was not developing as fast as other girls her age and it was annoying, especially when one other girl kept rubbing it in her face. Having a random boy say something like that caused a vein to throb in her head. "Pikachu?" Pikachu tilted its head. "Thunder shock."

"W-what?" the boy stammered in surprise, but it was too late. Pikachu started to spark from its cheeks before it leaped into the air.

"PI…KA…CHUUU!" Yellow electricity surrounded Pikachu and flew at the boy.

"AHH!" he yelled and ducked under the blast. The electricity flew over his head and into the forest. "What was that for?!" he demanded as Rampardos moved in front of him. Rampardos growled at Mikoto and Pikachu. Pikachu landed on the ground and continued to spark up. Both Pokémon were prepared for a fight.

"You called me little!"

"You're younger than me though!"

"That doesn't matter!" Mikoto suddenly realized the boy didn't know who she was. Mikoto was considered somewhat of a prodigy in her class. Smart and talented, her scores in both practical and theoretical tests had been way above the others. She had been the first one to catch a wild Pokémon and she could memorize countless strategies to use for any situation. While others treated her like a celebrity, she didn't think she was one. _Passing tests in a controlled environment is one thing, but being out here is another. I probably could have thought of several things to do against that stampede in class, but I was in shock when I actually witness it. It's kind of refreshing to be talked to like a normal person._ "Think about what you say-…" She was cut off as a loud roar echoed across the forest and several birds took off. Whatever made that noise was close by and did not sound happy. The sound of brush being scrapped aside was heard a second before a large bear stepped out from behind a tree. Its broad body was covered in brown fur, except its muzzle, inner ears, and paw pads, which were a light tan. It has narrow eyes, a triangular, black nose, and wide mouth with small, visible fangs in the upper jaw. A large yellow circle was painted on its chest.

It was an Ursaring.

The students of Academy City had been warned about Ursarings in class. They were extremely territorial and aggressive. Occasionally, one would wonder close to the city and some of the more experience trainers would chase them off or capture them. If they were to encounter one during their trips outside, they were supposed to report it immediately and never approach it. Ursarings were very strong physically and their claws could cut down trees. Mikoto's face paled and so did the boy's. This one was a little larger than previous ones and its shoulder looked slightly burnt. She realized what happened and why its face was full of anger.

Pikachu's Thunder Shock had hit it while it was napping.

"Pikachu!" Mikoto yelled out. "Electro Ball!" Pikachu jumped up into the air and summersaulted as a yellow ball of electricity formed at the end of its tail. It grew larger and Pikachu threw it directly at the Ursaring. Ursaring's claws started to glow and it slashed at the ball, cutting it in half. There was a small explosion, but Ursaring wasn't fazed and did not stop there. It charged forward and its arm glowed a moment before it collided with Pikachu. The force of its arm sent Pikachu flying backwards into a tree with a thud and it slid down to the ground. "Pikachu!" Mikoto cried and rush over. She picked it up and held Pikachu close to her chest. "Are you okay?"

"Pika," Pikachu replied weakly.

"That was Hammer Arm," the boy called out. "It's not playing around. Rampardos," he received a nod in response. "Headbutt!" Rampardos lowered its head and charged. Ursaring's arm begun to glow again, as Ursaring brought it down on Rampardos. The arm and head collided with a loud bang, right before Ursaring's arm was thrown upwards. Rampardos did not stop there and jumped forward to plant its head directly into Ursaring's stomach. Ursaring developed a painful expression on its face, as the air was knocked out of it, and then its feet left the ground. The force of the Headbutt actually lifted Ursaring into the air and threw it backwards. It crashed through a tree, breaking it in half, and slammed into the ground behind some bushes. "Phew," the boy sighed. "Hey, is your Pikachu okay?"

"Yea," Mikoto nodded and looked down. "She's taken a little damage, but should be fine after a short rest." She looked back up. "Is it gone?"

The angry roar answered her question.

"No," the boy answered. "I think we only upset it." Two more trees broke, as the furious Ursaring swung its claws and started marching toward them. "It seems stronger," he added looking at the sliced remains of the tree trunks.

"It must be using Rage," Mikoto told him. "Every time you hit it, its attack is going to rise!" Rage had another effect that the Pokémon who used it would not stop until the battle was over. Unless they knocked it out or ran away, it would keep attacking.

"Well then," the boy said and nodded to Rampardos. "It looks like we are moving to be plan B."

"What's that?" Mikoto asked.

"RUN!" The boy grabbed her hand that was not holding Pikachu and pulled her after him, while Rampardos followed right behind them. They slipped in between the trees, as they tried to lose the rampaging Ursaring crashing through the thicket behind them. It was not planning to let them escape.

"Where are we going?!" Mikoto cried.

"Away from the thing chasing us!" was the boy's only reply. Mikoto now regretted listening to him, but she had to admit it didn't look like they stood a chance against the Ursaring. Mikoto was a newer trainer and the boy didn't appear that much more experienced. In fact, he seemed like an idiot, though he didn't appear to be a bad person. They saw an opening in the trees in the distance and plowed straight toward it. They burst out into the open before hastily coming to a complete stop. Both of them saw the danger ahead of them simultaneously.

They had reached the edge of the cliff.

"It's about thirty feet down," Mikoto informed the boy after glancing over the edge. "There's a river, but I can't tell how deep it is from here."

"So we are stuck?" the boy asked and she sighed.

"Can you fly?" Mikoto asked sarcastically and the boy shook his head. "Then it looks like we are. I can't believe you led us here. If we had run toward the city, it probably wouldn't have followed us."

"Sorry," the boy apologized sincerely and Mikoto sighed. The sound of the Ursaring grew louder as it almost reached them.

"I hope you can fight," Mikoto told him. "Your Rampardos seems pretty strong."

"Pikachu?" Her Pikachu looked up curiously at her.

"You're strong too," Mikoto reassured her.

"Rampardos!" Rampardos looked pleased at the praise. It lowered its head in the direction of the Ursaring.

"Don't get a big head," the boy told his Pokémon. Rampardos nudged him in the side with its tail, but turned back toward the Ursaring who has just emerged from the woods. It looked extremely angry as it glared at them and let out a roar.

"Pika, Pi," Pikachu said as she jumped out of Mikoto's arm. It walked up next to Rampardos and both of them stared at Ursaring. They were ready for a fight. Ursaring lowered its eyes toward them and sneered.

Then it opened its mouth and a sphere of bright white light formed in front of it.

"Is that Hyper Beam?!" Mikoto cried.

"Oh crap!" the boy yelled.

The Ursaring was furious at them and fired the Hyper Beam made of pure energy at their Pokémon. Rampardos and Pikachu managed to dodge to the side, but there was a large explosion when the energy hit the ground. The explosion's force blew them all backwards, over the edge of the cliff, and down into the river below. "AHHHHH!" they yelled as they fell. The Ursaring looked down at them and sneered, before lumbering back into the forest.

 _Is this karma for skipping class?_ Mikoto thought to herself right before she hit the river. She wanted to blame the boy, but knew it was partially her fault for her Pikachu's attack. If they made it out of this, she was going to blame him anyways because it made her feel better.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **I hoped you all enjoyed.**


	2. Girl Meets Boy

**Being on break is nice as I actually have time to write. I'm taking a short break form my main story to have some fun with this crossover and organize my thoughts. This is only the second chapter, but I think everything has been set up nicely. I'm finding it interesting to actually write Pokémon fights with trainers giving orders. That is not something I'm used to, but I think it is working out. I didn't expect the crossover to be as popular as the main genres, but received a lot of views and comments. Thanks to everyone who read this and I hope you enjoy the next chapter too.**

 **MrQuestionMark: We don't need Z-moves. Having a new region gives me a more open world and I feel some people need certain Pokémon because of it being a perfect fit. I noticed the lack of crossovers after you mentioned it. This won't be updated on a set schedule, not like your spinoff compared with your main story, but because chapters are not horribly long, it should be easy to put them out enough to keep people interesting. Eevee is the number one Pokémon. You are just prejudice.**

 **Meridun: Nah, they will love the plot idea. Mikoto is the main character and Accelerator has a big role in the future.**

 **G119: I hope you enjoy where I take this story.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or Pokémon. I wish I did so I could retire rich.**

* * *

"GACK!"

Mikoto bolted upright and started coughing as the last bit of water escaped her lungs. She was soaking wet, but that was the furthest thing from her mind. _Ouch,_ she though and rubbed her head. _What happened? Where am I?_ The memories of the prior events which ended in her falling off a ledge rushed back to her. "Pikachu!" she cried out and looked around wildly.

"Pika?"

Mikoto turned to her left and saw Pikachu shaking itself off as Rampardos stood over it. They were on the edge of the riverbank and there was a drag mark leading from the Pokémon to the water. Mikoto frowned. "Did you save Pikachu?" she asked and stood up. Rampardos nodded and she smiled. "Thank you." She walked over and patted its head. "Thank you so much." Rampardos closed its eyes and smiled happily at her praise and touch. Mikoto stopped and realized something else. She turned around and saw the boy lying on the ground with his arm over his eyes. He was breathing heavily, like he just performed strenuous exercise. Mikoto made the connection and walked over to him, as she squeezed excess water out of her shirt. "Did you drag me out? I know I wasn't conscious to swim to the shore."

"Yes," the boy panted. "Not only was it my fault we fell, but I could never leave someone in a dangerous situation like that."

"Well," Mikoto mumbled and she felt warm all of a sudden, even being soaking wet. Her cheeks flushed slightly. "Thanks. Even though it was your fault at the beginning, I only made it worse too. So sorry, I guess." Her voice kept getting softer and softer, but she finally got it back to normal. "Here," she said and reached down to grab his arm. "Let me help you up." She pulled him to his feet and finally got a good look at him. Besides his black spikey hair, which was now kind of flat because it was wet, he also had brown eyes. He was pretty average looking, neither handsome nor ugly to her. He was wearing pants and an orange undershirt, with a white button down t-shirt over it. It was not tucked in and not buttoned all the way up, so it made him look slightly like a delinquent. She glanced back up to his face and noticed he was avoiding eye contact. "Why won't you look at me?" she asked.

"Err," he muttered. "It's… your shirt." He looked embarrassed and Mikoto raised an eyebrow. She looked down and discovered what was causing him discomfort.

The water was causing her shirt to stick to her skin and her underwear was visible.

Mikoto blinked.

"AHHHHH!" she screamed and slapped the boy across the face as hard as she could.

* * *

"Sorry," Mikoto mumbled embarrassed.

"Its fine," the boy reassured her. His face still had a bright red handprint on it. They dragged their belongings onto the grass and laid them out to dry. The boy gathered some firewood so they could dry out faster while Mikoto continued to squeeze excess water out of her clothes. While the boy was away, Mikoto found out most of his stuff had not been in water proof bags. That was one of the first things the school had stressed to them for being prepared. Mikoto pulled out the food she packed and gave some to Pikachu and Rampardos while she waited. Both of them appeared happy to have food and they laid out in the sun as they ate. The boy finally returned and made a pile of the sticks.

"Do you have a way to light the fire?" Mikoto asked, aware he didn't bring any matches.

"I do," the boy answered. He sat down on a rock across from Mikoto and pulled out a pokeball. "If he cooperates." He tossed the red and white ball to his right and it opened to release a flash of red light. A crimson scaled bipedal, reptilian creature with a cream colored underbelly appeared when the light faded. It had a horn-like protrusion on the back of its head, which had narrow green eyes and a long snout. Its arms were relatively long with three sharp claws. Its short legs connected to feet with three claws and cream-colored soles. The tip of its long, powerful looking tail had a flame burning on it. It looked kind of like a Charmander Mikoto had seen before and she pulled out her Pokedex.

"Charmeleon, the Flame Pokémon and the evolved form of Charmander. Charmeleon knocks down opponents with its tail, then defeats them using razor-sharp claws."

"Was Charmander your starting Pokémon?" Mikoto asked interestedly.

"He was," the boy confirmed. "We were best friends and then he evolved. Now he's really lethargic and doesn't want to do much anymore." He shrugged. "If he's willing to do something, I can't ask for a better partner." He turned to Charmeleon. "Can you light the fire for us so we can dry off?"

"Char," Charmeleon said with a snort and laid down on its side. It held its head up with its right arm and closed its eyes.

"Please?" the boy begged. "Just a quick light? I'm not the only one who needs it this time." He gestured to Mikoto. Charmeleon opened one eye, looked at Mikoto, and spat out a thin stream of fire at the pile of sticks. The fire roared to life and Mikoto felt the warmth flow over her. "Thank you."

"Hey Charmeleon," Mikoto said and held out a hand with a Pokémon biscuit. "Would you like one as thanks?" Charmeleon looked at it for a moment, sat up, and took it from her. It bit into the biscuit, eyes widened, and devoured the rest of it. "Heh, looks like he likes it."

"I feel bad that you are feeding all my Pokémon," the boy said to her and rubbed the back of his head.

"Think of it as thanks for dragging me out of the river," Mikoto replied and waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, I realized I still haven't heard your name. My name is Mikoto Misaka. Misaka is fine. What is yours?"

"Touma Kamijou."

"You know," Mikoto said and reached toward the second pokeball at her side. "We already released a lot of our Pokémon. Why not let the rest out to get some fresh air?" Touma shrugged but agreed. He didn't have any reason not to. Mikoto grinned and tossed her pokeball to her side and it opened with a flash of red light. A small mammalian, quadruped creature with primarily brown fur appeared. The tip of its bushy tail and its large furry collar were cream-colored. It had short, slender legs with three small toes and a pink paw pad on each foot. It had brown eyes, long pointed ears, and a small black nose.

"Wow," Touma said impressed. "That's an Eevee. They are really rare and I know the city is pretty restrictive on passing them out."

"It can evolve into a lot of different forms," Mikoto explained. "Depending on location, affection levels, or special stones. The researchers here want to see why that is." She passed Eevee a biscuit and it bounded over next to her Pikachu. It started eating while Pikachu was talking to it excitedly, most likely about the events that had just transpired. "This Eevee was wild and the first Pokémon I caught with Pikachu. I only worked with her for a short time, but we get along great."

"It looks happy and healthy," Touma agreed. "You can't really want much more for your Pokémon." He reached to his side and grabbed another pokeball. A brief flicker of worry crossed his face as Mikoto watched her Eevee, and he pushed the pokeball out of sight. Instead, he grabbed the last pokeball at his waist and opened it in front of him. "This is my other partner," Touma said as it appeared. A small, blue, bipedal canine Pokémon stepped out and stretched. It had black legs and torso, a blue tail, and a yellow collar. It had rounded bumps on the backs of its forepaws and black markings around its red eyes like a mask. Mikoto noticed it stood on its toes instead of its entire foot. Mikoto had not seen this Pokémon either and used her Pokedex.

"Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon. Riolu has the power to see and understand emotions like happiness and anger in aura waves."

"Wow," Mikoto gasped. "My Eevee may be rare, but Riolu has rarely been seen." At her words, Riolu jumped, looked at her for a moment, before dashing behind Touma and grabbing tightly to the back of his shirt. "Ah, did I say something wrong?"

"No," Touma reassured her. "Riolu actually hatched from an egg not too long ago and is extremely shy. I've been working with him to overcome it, but he still doesn't trust people he hasn't met before." He reached around and patted Riolu on the head. "It's okay. She's a friend. You can come out." Riolu stuck its head out from around Touma's back and gazed at Mikoto intently. Mikoto didn't know this, but it was gaging her aura to see if it was safe to emerge.

"Would you like a biscuit?" Mikoto asked it kindly and held out a hand with a treat. Riolu looked at her and then back up at Touma. Touma nodded and nudged him slightly toward Mikoto. Riolu approaching her slowly and gingerly took the treat, before he retreated back behind Touma. Riolu bit into the biscuit and let out an excited sound and continued to eat happily.

"Looks like you made all my Pokémon happy," Touma said with a slight grin.

"I wish I could take credit," Mikoto admitted. "But a friend of mine made the food." She looked around at Touma's Pokémon. "Is it tough?"

"Is what tough?" he asked confused.

"You have a Pokémon that doesn't want to do anything," Mikoto pointed out. "One that is overly energetic and gets you into trouble, and one that is incredibly shy. I'm guessing entering tournaments or events is not very easy."

"There have been… some challenges," Touma admitted. "But I trust them all to come through. My Charmander actually evolved in the middle of my battle with Rampardos. We were losing and he evolved into Charmeleon to win." When Touma said this, Charmeleon opened an eye to stare at him briefly and then turned away.

"I guess I can't really criticize," Mikoto said. She sighed slightly. "I really like electric Pokémon, but my teachers and friends keep telling me I should branch out more." Mikoto sighed audibly this time, as she remembered the constant nagging she received. "Seriously, I know ground types are strong against electric types, but that's why I'm teaching my Pokémon non-electric type moves!"

"Heh," Touma laughed. "As long as you care for your Pokémon, I believe you are in the right." Mikoto looked at him for a moment and her heart skipped slightly. For the first time, she encountered someone who didn't tell her to follow logic and reason but to follow her own heart. She was used to Academy City using statistics, advantages versus disadvantages, and perfected strategies from past battles. "Why are you skipping class?" Touma asked curiously and interrupted her thoughts. "You know why I am. Rampardos would burst out of his pokeball if I didn't come out here."

"I was investigating the rumors of the sighting of a Plusle and Minun," Mikoto explained. "I couldn't pass up the chance to catch them."

"Oh," Touma replied. "Sorry, I haven't seen any."

"Dang," Mikoto said dejectedly. "I really didn't expect to have much luck anyways. It was only a rumor. Still, I would hate to go home empty handed and have my teachers chew me out for wasting time."

"I could help you search if you want," Touma volunteered.

"Oh?" Mikoto asked sarcastically. "Is the big strong man going to help the poor little girl?"

"I wasn't thinking anything like that," Touma protested immediately. "It was my fault we ended up in this mess and I finished what I had come out here to do. I figured I could help you with your mission. Also, think of it as thanks for feeding my Pokémon."

"It's fine," Mikoto relented. "Having another set of eyes should help. Even if we don't find them, any electric type would be fine. Let's pack up. My clothes are almost completely dry anyways." Touma nodded and they put away their belongings and sent their Pokémon back into their pokeballs before they set off. After about an hour, Mikoto was feeling down on her luck. They had seen tons of Pokémon, but mostly flying, bug, and normal types. They had not come across a single electric type. Mikoto slump down next to a tree and looked dejected. _I'm getting tired. Why is this so hard?_ Her classes never told them how physically exhausting hiking up and down hills and through forests could be. "This is hopeless to wander around blindly."

"It's all part of the journey," Touma said, as he tried to cheer her up. "If you give up right when it gets hard, you will never succeed."

"I guess you're right," Mikoto agreed and stood up. "Man I have fallen, having to get cheered up by some random boy who nearly got me killed."

"Hey!"

"Catch up if you can!" Mikoto called over her shoulder as she dashed to the top of a hill. Touma sighed, but grinned and followed. Mikoto reached the top of the hill and looked around. She briefly admired the view of a crystal clear lake with a few water Pokémon jumping around, when she saw something which caused her to focus her attention. There was a rock formation consisting of three large boulders and on top of the one nearest to her was a small Pokémon. She pulled out her Pokedex as Touma caught up.

"Wow you're fast," he panted before he saw what she was doing. "You found one?"

"Sure did," Mikoto replied with a grin.

"Magnemite," her Pokedex said. "The Magnet Pokémon. It's able to float through the air and use electricity due to its magnet shaped units located on its sides." Touma looked down the hill at the Magnemite. It appeared to be a robotic life form. It had a gray, spherical metal body with horseshoe magnets on each side and a single, large eye. Its body had three Phillips head screws embedded in it: two near the bottom, and the other on top of its head, which looked similar to an antenna.

"It's all mine," Mikoto said fiercely and grabbed one of her pokeballs on her belt. "Come on out Eevee." Her Pokémon appeared in a flash of red light.

"Wait!" Touma called out and Mikoto turned around. "Isn't Magnemite also a steel type? Normal types don't work well against it."

"Types only work in theory," Mikoto replied dismissively. "Besides, I told you I teach my Pokémon special moves. Eevee is really strong and will easily be able to handle this."

"Eevee vee," Eevee agreed. Mikoto and Eevee ran down the hill excitedly and Touma followed. This was their battle, so he wasn't going to interfere. He did, however, wish Mikoto luck. When they drew near, the Magnemite rose into the air and looked at them. It knew Mikoto was after it.

"Eevee," Mikoto ordered. "Start with a Sand Attack!" Eevee jumped forward and slapped the ground with its paws. A small jet of sand flew up and into Magnemite's eye. Magnemite shook its head angrily and flew at Eevee, but its aim was off and went too far to the fight. Sand Attack was a special attack that lowered an opponent's accuracy, even if it didn't cause damage. "Great, now follow up with Swift." Eevee jumped into the air and spun around as several whitish yellow stars flew from it at Magnemite. The stars hit its body and exploded in small flashed of light, but Magnemite didn't seem to be severely affected. "Shoot," Mikoto muttered. "Looks like normal attacks really won't do much against steel. Every damage piles up though." Magnemite started to spark up and fired a bolt of electricity at Eevee when it made contact with the ground. "Dodge now!" Eevee jumped to the side and manage to just avoid the Thunder Shock. "Use Swift again!" Eevee unleashed another barrage of stars at Magnemite, but there wasn't any noticeable difference from the first time. A white orb appeared in front of Magnemite and then flew at Eevee. Eevee jumped to the side but the bomb like object changed direction. It made contact with Eevee and exploded.

"Eevee!" Eevee cried and skidded across the ground.

"Are you all right?!" Mikoto called out anxiously. Eevee jumped back up to its feet and nodded to Mikoto. "So it knows Magnet Bomb," she muttered. "I want it even more now." Magnet Bomb was a steel type attack that locked on to its target so it wouldn't miss. "Okay Eevee, lets show it who's boss. Use Shadow Ball!" Eevee jumped into the air and opened its mouth. A black orb appeared a moment before Eevee fired it at Magnemite. The ball made direct contact with Magnemite and caused it to be enveloped in an explosion. Magnemite flew backwards and this time it took noticeable damage.

"Isn't Shadow Ball a ghost-type move?" Touma asked. "When did you teach Eevee that?"

"I won the TM in a contest," Mikoto answered, not turning her attention away from the battle. TMs were devices that taught Pokémon moves they normally would not be able to learn. "Don't let up. Quick Attack!" Eevee charged forward leaving a small trail of white light behind it as it closed in on Magnemite. Magnemite floated off the ground and the magnets on its side started to vibrate. Before Eevee could make contact, Magnemite unleashed waves of sound. The soundwaves hit Eevee and caused it to stop and cover its ears from the noise, as it cried out in pain.

"You have to get out of that Supersonic!" Mikoto yelled out. Her yelling did not do anything, either because Eevee could not hear or was confused. Magnemite took advantage of the lapse of coordination and flew forward to land a tackle directly into Eevee.

"Eevee!" Eevee cried out in pain again, as it flew backwards.

"I know you can pull through this," Mikoto called out. "Hit it with Shadow Ball again!" Eevee summersaulted when it touched the ground and released another dark ball of energy. Magnemite was to close and could not dodge fast enough. The Shadow Ball made direct contact, which caused Magnemite to fall backwards and hit the ground. "That should do it," Mikoto said and threw a pokeball. The ball hit Magnemite and opened up. Magnemite disappeared into the ball in a flash of red light. The pokeball closed and hit the ground, but the front latch was still glowing red. The ball shook, once, twice, and then a third time. It finally stood still and the red light disappeared. "I did it!" Mikoto cried out happily, as she made a fist and jumped into the air.

"Eevee! Eevee!" Eevee cheered and bounded up and down.

"You did great," Mikoto said. "This was your first real battle and you won!"

"Nice job," Touma said and he high fived her.

"Thanks," Mikoto replied. "See, even if it's a bad match up, I can still win."

"I never said you couldn't," Touma protested.

"This trip out of the city wasn't a waste," Mikoto continued while grinning. "I caught my third Pokémon and it's a steel and electric type."

"It looks like with a little training it will be a real asset," Touma admitted.

"I still have a little time before I have to meet up with my roommate," Mikoto said and glanced down at her phone. "That should give me enough time to get back and changed out of these sweaty clothes." She saw Touma pat his pocket and his face paled slightly. "What's wrong?"

"I think I left something back where we made camp," Touma told her. He turned around and started running before he yelled back over his shoulder. "I'm going to run back and get it before heading back to the city! Nice to meet you Biribiri!"

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!?" Mikoto roared at his retreating form. He didn't reply and disappeared over the top of the hill. Biribiri was the sound electricity made and Mikoto knew why he called her that. She fumed silently and Eevee looked up at her confused. Mikoto sighed, recalled Eevee into its pokeball, and then headed back in the direction of Academy City. She couldn't get the boy out of her head. Mikoto still thought he was an idiot, but she couldn't bring herself to call him weak. His Rampardos had been able to blow back an Ursaring and she couldn't shake the feeling Touma could have beaten it if she had not been there. This irritated her more and she vowed to battle him seriously the next time they met. She saw the city in the distance and sighed. _The world is really a big place. Maybe I should experience it more. I feel like theory isn't the same as experience._ Something glinted ahead of her and she walked over to it and picked it up.

It was a Pokedex.

 _Wow,_ she thought. _Someone was really careless. These things are expensive._ Trainers got one free from the city because it stored all the information of the Pokémon trainers encountered and captured. However, any replacements were a cost of the trainers. It wasn't easy to destroy a Pokedex, but it could be done. _Let's see, there should be a profile to see who this belongs too._ She pulled up the menu and her mouth fell open.

It was a picture of Touma Kamijou.

"So this is what the idiot thought he left behind," Mikoto mumbled. "I can't believe he lost it right after leaving the city. What kind of luck does he have?" Mikoto pictured Touma running around all over the forest looking for this. She knew going back and trying to find him blindly would not work and she kicked herself mentally for not getting his phone number. Mikoto had no idea when he would give up and head back toward the city. Normally, she would put this in the city's lost and found, but a grin appeared on her lips. _The mailing address is here too. I'll return it to him tomorrow and challenge him to a battle then._ Proud of her plan, she entered the city and headed toward her dorm building. She just entered her room when she heard a dangerous cry.

"ONEE-SAMA!"

"Oomph," Mikoto gasped as a girl a little younger than her tackled her. "Kuroko!" Mikoto roared. "I told you several times not to greet me like this!" Mikoto pushed the girl with tawny hair, tied into two curly pigtails and held in place with red bows, off of her and stood up. Mikoto walked into the room with the girl right behind her. The girl's name was Kuroko Shirai and she was Mikoto's roommate.

"But I heard you skipped class today," Kuroko explained. "No one knew what happened to you and I was worried. You left the city without permission again, didn't you?"

"I had to investigate a rumor," Mikoto explained evenly and threw her backpack onto her bed. "It turned out to be a dead end though." She glanced over at Kuroko's bed and saw her yellow, bipedal Pokémon sitting there silently. Its face was kite-shaped, with a small pale yellow snout and two short pointed ears with pale yellow interiors. The Pokémon's body was segmented with black skin visible between its joints and along its neck. It had two brown, pauldron-shaped extensions on its shoulders, as well as a brown, fauld-like piece around its chest. It had three fingers and toes, with its fingers considerably shorter than its toes. Its tail was thick and long, with a brown band located near the tip. Its wide eyes were currently closed. The Pokémon's name was Abra and was a psychic type. Unlike its outgoing trainer, Abra was very quiet.

"You can't go out on your own without telling anyone," Kuroko continued. "Regardless of the reason. You could have been kidnapped or hurt. You may be the Ace at school, but if you do these things and come back empty handed-…"

"I didn't come back empty handed," Mikoto interrupted.

"Huh?"

"I caught a new electric type," Mikoto explained with a grin.

"Onee-sama is so great," Kuroko exclaimed and clasped her hands together. "I still wish you would think about expanding your horizons and catch something different."

"Your concern is noted," Mikoto replied and pulled at her sweaty shirt. "But I am not going to change myself to please others." She grinned at Kuroko.

"I do love that about you."

"Now I need to take a shower," Mikoto mumbled and grabbed her bathroom kit. "Do not try to barge in again."

"That was only once!"

"Three times."

"Oh."

"I keep count." Mikoto was just about to enter the bathroom when she turned around. "Oh, Kuroko?"

"Yes?"

"The world is a big place, isn't it?"

"I guess?" Kuroko replied confused as Mikoto disappeared behind the closed door.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**


	3. Friends

**I don't really have a lot to say up here. I have no idea where this story is going, but it is so much fun to write. That means I will probably be continuing this story for a while. Nothing else really, so let's move on to comments.**

 **Brosephg: I see you found this story. Even without the Imagine Breaker, the universe would never let him have good luck. The story will be based primarily from Mikoto's view, but you might occasionally see some snippets of his luck. Kuroko is Kuroko. You can't change her without a long and overly complicated plot.**

 **MrKipling22: Most likely, the question is when. There will be a lot of events in Academy City, plus a lot of powerful trainers. A journey might be hanging out with people outside her school. It would give her a different world view.**

 **Dragonskyt: Most crossovers have a lot less views that single series. You have to know both series involved well enough to imagine them when they meet. I noticed a few other short stories with Pokémon and Index seemed to start off that way, so I figured, let us skip the boring intro and go straight to the action.**

 **WiliamZ0: Not sure if Mikoto would want a water type like Greninja or if Touma is worthy of one.**

 **Vietnamese guy: I knew two of those three things you mentioned, then I had to go look up negation with Rampardos. I didn't know about that until you mentioned it, but then I thought, this is perfect. Obviously, Touma's fourth Pokémon is a golden Magicarp**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or Pokémon. I wish I did so I could retire rich.**

* * *

"I'm ready onee-sama," Kuroko said, as she set down her brush and turned around. "Time to return Abra." She held out her pokeball and Abra disappeared in a flash of red light.

"I am too," Mikoto answered. She was sitting on the edge of her bed with Eevee in her lap and Mikoto was brushing it while Kuroko finished tidying herself up from a long day at school. "There you go. Good as new." She smiled at Eevee.

"Vee," Eevee squeaked happily.

"You deserved it after how well you performed today," Mikoto replied. Eevee jumped off her lap and Mikoto stood up to stretch. "Where are we meeting them again?" she asked Kuroko.

"Joseph's diner," Kuroko replied and she glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's their favorite restaurant. We should get going or we might be late." Mikoto nodded and they both left their dorm room, while Eevee trotted along next to Mikoto. They had almost reached the front door of their dorm building when they heard a familiar female voice that caused Mikoto to freeze. The voice was friendly but sickeningly sweet to her.

"Oh my, if it isn't Misaka-san! It's been ages!"

"Hello Shokuhou-san," Mikoto replied as she turned around. The familiar girl with long blonde hair and golden eyes was walking toward her. She wore a pair of white gloves and stockings, both adorned with laces unlike her brown and white Tokiwadai uniform. She was also holding a shoulder bag with a star adorned in the middle. The girl's full name was Misaki Shokuhou and she was a classmate of Mikoto's. It was an understatement to say they were only rivals. Mikoto may have been the first one in her class to catch a wild Pokémon, but Misaki was the first to actually receive a starter. Mikoto wasn't even sure how Misaki did it, but around a month before Mikoto and the rest of their classmates received theirs, Misaki had introduced them to her own Eevee. Mikoto's eyes fell to the Pokémon next to Misaki and the sight caused Mikoto to take out her Pokedex.

"Sylveon," her Pokedex reported. "The Intertwining Pokémon, and an evolved form of Eevee. Sylveon affectionately wraps its ribbon-like feelers around its trainer's arm as they walk together."

Sylveon was a quadruped, mammalian Pokémon covered primarily in pale cream-colored fur with pinkish feet, ears, and tail. There were two bows on its body, one on its left ear and one around its neck, from which two feelers adorn it. The bows were also pale cream with pinkish centers, while the feelers were pale cream with pinkish and blue tips. It was using its feelers to "hold hands" with Misaki. Just like Mikoto's Pokedex said, they were wrapped around Misaki's wrist. Sylveon also had short, slender legs and small paws with three visible toes on each foot. Its eyes were blue with white pupils and no visible sclera. When its mouth opened, two pointed teeth could be seen on its upper jaw. Its furry pinkish tail was slightly curved in a crescent shape.

"Wow Shokuhou-san," Kuroko said impressed. "Your Eevee evolved. It's so cute."

"Why thank you Shirai-san," Misaki told her kindly and smiled at her. "I'm sure you know I was away for a couple months on an exchange program and my Eevee evolved during that time. I only got back a couple days ago."

"I don't know why you said it's been ages," Mikoto told her and crossed her arms. "You tend to spring up on me all the time, like yesterday." Mikoto's eyes darted down thirty degrees at Misaki's chest. Misaki used to be flat as a board, but when she returned, she had grown quite voluptuous compared to Mikoto. Mikoto might not have been as irritated as she was, if Misaki didn't rub it in her face constantly. Misaki was also very popular, but always seemed to be keeping secrets. Mikoto always felt her cheerful expression was only used to hide her true feelings. Mikoto tended to be honest about what she thought of people. Misaki was also interested in maintaining a large clique around her, while Mikoto preferred to have a small group of tight knit friends. In a way, they were like oil and water.

"But I wanted to see my best friend again," Misaki mused and smiled at her. "We were so close before I left." Mikoto raised an eyebrow. "Your Eevee is exactly the same as I remember too. You two haven't changed a bit." Misaki's gaze fell down slightly at Mikoto's chest and Misaki grinned. Mikoto's face flushed angrily and she gritted her teeth to prevent an outburst. Kuroko glanced at both of them and she felt slightly confused. She always believed Mikoto and Misaki were friends. Meanwhile, Mikoto's Eevee approached Sylveon.

"Eevee vee," Eevee greeted.

"Syl Sylveon," Sylveon replied haughtily.

"Eevee?" Eevee seemed confused.

"Sylveon Syl Sylveon," Sylveon continued arrogantly. "Veon, Syl." Sylveon's eyes grew cold as it gazed down at Eevee. Eevee's eye widened and she retreated back behind Mikoto. Sylveon grinned.

"Tell your Pokémon to quit picking on mine," Mikoto said angrily to Misaki.

"I'm sure she was just playing," Misaki replied and waved a hand dismissively. "Right Sylveon?" She looked down and Sylveon nodded.

"We need to get going anyways," Mikoto said and her eye narrowed.

"It was nice to see you again," Kuroko added.

"Likewise," Misaki agreed. "Let's go Sylveon. We have a few more people to catch up with and then we can find our good friend."

"Sylveon!" Sylveon replied happily and they left.

"Who do you think she's looking for?" Kuroko asked Mikoto.

"I don't really care," Mikoto said with a shrug. "At least she's not bothering me." She glanced at the clock above the entrance door. "Look at the time. We have to hurry or we are going to be really late." She, Kuroko, and Eevee left the dorm and ran to the bus stop to go and meet their friends.

* * *

"Sorry we are late," Kuroko apologized. She and Mikoto sat across the table from two other girls.

The two girls were Kazari Uiharu and Ruiko Saten. Kazari was a small girl with short black hair and had golden-brown eyes. She has thick eyebrows but her most striking feature was her headband that was made out of artificial flowers. She was also kind of shy at first, but would open up once you got to know her. Ruiko had blue eyes and long black hair with a small, white flower on the left side. She was the same age as Kuroko and Kazari, but she was taller and looked older than them, like she was Mikoto's age. Ruiko was very curious and loved investigating rumors. Mikoto actually heard about Plusle and Minun from her. The reason Kuroko and Mikoto wanted to hurry and meet their friends was because Kazari and Ruiko's class finally received their starter Pokémon. Tokiwadai, the all-girls school which Kuroko and Mikoto attended, usually got their Pokémon before the other schools due to its prestige and influence, which is why Kuroko had her Abra already.

"It's not a problem," Ruiko reassured her. "We just got here a couple minutes ago."

"So do we get to see them?" Mikoto asked interestedly. "I can't wait to see what you two chose."

"Here is my partner," Kazari volunteered and pulled out a pokeball. "Come on out." There was a flash of red light and a small, pale green Pokémon with a darker necklace of buds appeared. It had a large head in proportion to the rest of its body with large red eyes that appeared to have no pupils. It also had four short legs with a single nailed toe on each and a small tail. Its most distinguishing feature was the large leaf on the top of its head, which was longer than the rest of its body. "This is Chikorita."

"Chiko," Chikorita greeted them all.

"Eevee," Eevee replied and held out a paw, as if to shake hands. One of the buds in Chikorita's neck grew into a long green vine and shook Eevee's paw.

"I should have known you would choose a grass type Uiharu," Kuroko sighed, but she was grinning as she pulled out her Pokedex. "It suits you." Kuroko's, Mikoto's and Ruiko's eyes all fell onto Kazari's headpiece. She blushed a little, but smiled back at them. "Let's see." Kuroko held up her Pokedex.

"Chikorita, the Leaf Pokémon. Chikoritas emits pleasant aromas from the leaves on their heads and they love to sunbathe."

"It does smell nice," Mikoto agreed and sniffed the air. She noticed her Eevee seemed to be enjoying the smell too and kept sniffing Chikorita, who didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, it looked pleased with the compliment.

"That's what attracted me to him," Kazari admitted. Mikoto and Kuroko realized her Pokémon was a male. "I was leaning toward a Bulbasaur, but so many other people were looking at it too. Chikorita was off by himself sleeping on a rock and I kind of fell in love how cute he looked."

"What about you Saten-san?" Kuroko asked and turned to her.

"Well," Ruiko said. "I was kind of leaning toward a Fletchling, but then I found this guy by surprise." She pulled out a pokeball and opened it next to her. A pinniped Pokémon, that was primarily blue, appeared. It had large eyes, a long, white snout with black whiskers, and round, pink nose. There was a small, rounded earflap on each side of its head. Around its neck was a light blue ruff, which extends past its shoulders. It also had four flippers. The front flippers were larger than the hind ones, and they had white markings separating its toes.

"What is that Pokémon?" Mikoto asked stunned. She had never even seen pictures of it before, so she whipped out her Pokedex.

"Popplio," her Pokedex announced. "The Sea Lion Pokémon. This Pokémon snorts body fluids from its nose, blowing balloons to smash into its foes. It's famous for being a hard worker."

"It turns out he arrived yesterday," Ruiko explained happily as she held Popplio in her arms. "He's from the Alola region. The city doesn't get many Pokémon from there, so most people haven't seen one around here. I was sitting by the pond and checking out some of the other Pokémon when he jumped out of the water right in front of me."

"She got soaked," Kazari added and the girls laughed.

"I think it was destiny," Ruiko continued. "He landed right in my lap and blew a bubble in my face. I couldn't say no to his innocent expression and when it exhibited such bravery to introduce himself."

"Arf!" Popplio barked and clapped his front flippers together. A large bubble appeared from its nose right in front of Ruiko's face for a second, before it popped. Mikoto and Kuroko laughed as Ruiko wiped her face off with a napkin.

"Hey Pikachu," Mikoto said as she released her Pokémon from the pokeball. "Come and meet our new friends." Kuroko did the same thing with Abra.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said happily and waved to the others. Abra nodded its head slightly in greetings. Ruiko let go of Popplio and he hopped over next to them. Pikachu, Eevee, Chikorita, Abra, and Popplio were given food and started talking among themselves, which meant the girls were free to have their own conversation. They eventually reached the topic of Mikoto's day.

"So Misaka-san," Kazari said. "Shirai-san was wondering where you were today. Were you not in class?"

"Did she?" Mikoto replied and her eyes turned to Kuroko. "Why did you contact them?"

"I heard you skipped class," Kuroko pointed out. "And no one knew where you were. I thought Uiharu or Saten-san would have some idea were you went. I told you before you can't just leave the city without telling anyone."

"Really?" Ruiko asked interestedly. "Misaka-san actually skipped class to play around outside of the city?" She grinned and wagged her finger. "A young lady like yourself shouldn't be sneaking out alone." Kazari and Kuroko had to hold their hands over their mouths to prevent themselves from laughing at Ruiko doing a perfect imitation of a teacher. Mikoto rolled her eyes, but she grinned too.

"You really did skip school?" Kazari gasped. "I thought you might have been doing something for one of your classes." Mikoto was part of the prestigious Tokiwadai School and it would not be unusual for a prodigy like her to have special classes or assignments.

"I had to act on Saten-san's information," Mikoto pointed out.

"Oh," Ruiko said quietly. She knew what she did. "Did you find the Plusle and Minun?"

"No," Mikoto sighed. "It was a dead end."

"You shouldn't get onee-sama's hopes up with information on nearby electric-types if there isn't enough proof," Kuroko admonished.

"Shirai-san," Kazari spoke up. "Aren't you the one who keeps complaining Misaka-san should catch other types?" Her face paled under the look Kuroko gave her. There was silence, until Kuroko reached over and grabbed Kazari's cheek. "It hewrts!" Kazari cried out in pain.

"Quit bulling Uiharu-san," Mikoto reprimanded and bopped Kuroko on the head. Something just occurred to her and she turned back to Ruiko. "Since you are on top of all the rumors in the city, maybe you can help me with something."

"There hasn't been a Zapdos sighting," Ruiko said quickly. Kazari and Kuroko snickered. Zapdos was a legendary bird that was an electric and flying type. Mikoto had mentioned to them she would love to see and capture it.

"That's not in," Mikoto explained while she shook her head. "I was wondering if you heard any rumors about a trainer with a Rampardos."

"A Rampardos?" Ruiko asked and crossed her arms in thought. "That sounds familiar, hang on." She pulled out her phone and started to browse the online forums. Kazari and Kuroko pulled out their pokedexes and looked up the Pokémon Rampardos.

"Wow," Kazari muttered as she read the information on it. "A dinosaur rock-type. Was it a wild Pokémon or was it revived from fossil DNA?" Academy City had actually mastered the technology to revive Pokémon from fossils.

"Are you interested in getting one?" Kuroko asked excitedly. "Finally, you are branching out to other types."

"That's not quite it," Mikoto corrected and shook her head again. Kuroko looked at her confused for a moment before Ruiko spoke up.

"Hah!" she announced. "I knew that sounded familiar. There have been sightings of a trainer with a Rampardos in the city. Let's see, no one knows the trainer's name, but they say he's a high school boy with black hair."

 _That's him,_ Mikoto thought.

"This is when it gets weird," Ruiko continued and looked up. The other three girls were now staring at her intensely. "The few people who actually faced Rampardos said it was incredibly strong, but…" She trailed off a moment for dramatic effect. "They said it ONLY used Headbutt, no other move."

"What?!" All three girls gasped. Pokémon could learn up to four moves at a time and it was newer Pokémon that would usually only know one or two moves. It was unusual for a very strong Pokémon to only have one move.

"It didn't matter who they faced," Ruiko continued. "They may have never fought a ghost-type, but even rock and steel types fell to it."

"But Headbutt is a normal-type move," Kazari protested. "It wouldn't be very effective against those types."

"Types aren't everything," Mikoto pointed out with a smug look on her face at Kuroko.

"I know that," Kuroko replied to her look. "But you can't say using electric attacks on ground Pokémon is effective."

"So what made you interested in this?" Ruiko asked, as she put her phone away. Her eyes widened in recognition and she grinned knowingly. "Did you actually meet this guy and challenge him?"

"What?!" Mikoto gasped and shook her head. She was surprised at how perceptive Ruiko was and how close she had gotten to the truth. "I didn't challenge him!"

"So you met him?" Kuroko asked and her face paled in horror. "Is that why you played hooky?" A dark aura started to emerge from her. "Onee-sama… and a boy… alone and unsupervised… outside the city… defiled-…" Mikoto hit her on the head at the last word.

"Nothing like that happened!" Mikoto told her firmly. Her face was red from anger and embarrassment. "Get your mind out of the gutter!"

"But you did meet him," Kazari said. "So what happened?"

"What was he like?" Ruiko asked excitedly. "You are the first person I know personally who saw him."

"He is an idiot," Mikoto answered sternly. The other three girls looked confused. "He accidently angered some Rhyhorns and the stampede chased us into a forest, where we met an Ursaring." Kazari gasped, but Mikoto quickly continued before she could interrupt. "I think the rumors of Rampardos only using Headbutt could be true. One attack sent the Ursaring flying." She sighed and decided to skip the embarrassing part. "We camped for a bit to rest and I fed our Pokémon. Seriously Saten-san, your Pokémon food is amazing. You should start a shop or something."

"Thanks Misaka-san," Ruiko replied and beamed at her. "That means a lot, but quit trying to change the subject. Did you get to know him personally?"

"EHH!" Mikoto cried in shock. "No! After we rested he volunteered to help me look for electric-type Pokémon and I found a Magnemite, which I caught." She added the last part proudly.

"Congratulations," Kazari said and clapped her hands together.

"Then we parted ways," Mikoto continued. "He lost something and ran off before I could volunteer to help him find it." She shrugged. "I don't know where he is now or how to contact him."

"Whew," Kuroko sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I can't forgive him for putting you in a dangerous position, but I'm relieved nothing happened. You should stay away from stupid apes like him. Their stupidity could be infectious."

"I don't know Shirai-san," Kazari said. "She could have been fated to meet him." She smiled, but quickly regretted it as Kuroko grabbed her cheek again and she cried out in pain.

"I want to see his Rampardos in action," Ruiko said dreamily as she imagined it. Mikoto shrugged and then glanced out the window.

Her mouth fell open.

Walking on the other side of the street was Touma Kamijou. His face had a dejected look on it as he walked next to another boy, who also appeared to be in high school. The other boy had blonde hair, sunglasses, and a gold chain around his neck, which made him look like a delinquent. He wore shorts and a green shirt with white floral patterns. He was laughing and it was most likely at Touma's predicament. Mikoto felt a smile form on her face. A plan was forming in her mind and she unconsciously reached for Touma's Pokedex in her bag.

"I think you may have that opportunity," Mikoto told Ruiko and the girls stared at her in confusion.

* * *

"I wish you wouldn't make fun of my misfortune," Touma sighed to his blonde haired friend.

"I still can't believe you lost your Pokedex," the boy named Motoharu Tsuchimikado replied and smacked Touma on the back. "I covered for you with Komoe-sensei while you were gone, but seriously, that's like the fourth time this week."

"I retraced my steps," Touma said and he kicked at a pebble on the ground. "But I couldn't find it."

"I suppose I can help," Motoharu reassured him. "In exchange, you have to give me a phone number for one of the girls you seemed to have fawning over you all the time."

"I don't have girls fawning over me!" Touma protested. "I may occasionally help someone out with a problem, but it's not like I'm trying to get their numbers."

"You can't go a single day without a girl running up to you to spend time with them," Motoharu laughed.

"Those girls didn't even know my name," Touma muttered annoyed. "They only liked Rampardos and Charmeleon." He sighed. "I would like at least one girl to be happy to see me specifically-…"

"Hey idiot!" A sharp female voice caused Touma and Motoharu to stop in their tracks. Touma turned around, while a broad grinned formed on Motoharu's face. "Wow, I can't believe you responded to that."

"Biribiri?" Touma asked in surprise. Mikoto was marching toward him and he noticed three girls further behind her. All of whom were staring at him.

"Stop calling me that!" Mikoto demanded, as she stopped right in front of him.

"You called me an idiot!"

"You called me that stupid nickname earlier today," she retaliated. "I returned the favor!"

"It was only a joke," Touma said quickly.

"Oh?" Motoharu asked and raised an eyebrow. "So Kami-yan, I thought you were out training, but it was to meet a girl? A cute one at that, nice."

"It's not what you think moron," Touma snapped at him, as he felt his ears burn. Mikoto's face turned slightly red too. "I was training and accidently ran into her."

"Literally," Mikoto added. "Plus the twenty or so Rhyhorns." Motoharu looked interested at her words and Touma decided it was time to steer the conversation out of these dangerous waters.

"What's up Biri… I mean Misaka?" Touma asked. "I didn't think I would see you anytime soon." He was aware the other three girls had approached and were standing a little behind Mikoto. All three were still staring at him.

"I didn't either," Mikoto lied. She had been planning to find him the next day. "But now that I have, I challenge you and Rampardos to a Pokémon battle!"

"Huh?!" Touma wasn't the only one confused. The three girls behind Mikoto had similar looks on their faces. Mikoto had told them, after she saw Touma, that she would introduce them to him and Rampardos. Mikoto had never mentioned anything to them about challenging Touma to a battle. "I'm kind of busy, so maybe some other time?"

"I thought you might say that," Mikoto grinned and reached into her bag. "Look what I found." She held up a very familiar red device.

"My Pokedex!" Touma exclaimed. "Where did you find it?! I've been looking everywhere!"

"I was about to enter the city when I noticed it," Mikoto informed him. "I didn't have your phone number to tell you and I had no idea where you were, so I was planning to wait until I was sure you returned."

"Why didn't she just put it in the lost and found?" Kuroko mumbled, slightly irritated.

"Shush," Ruiko hushed her. "I want to hear this." Kazari nodded and Kuroko fell silent.

"Thank you so much Misaka!" Touma cried, as tears streamed down his face. Mikoto was speechless and then found herself in even more shock, as he grabbed her other hand and started shaking it vigorously. "You don't know how much this means to me. I can't afford to lose another one. The city is getting really upset with me." Mikoto's faced flushed again slightly and she had to mentally slap herself to remember her plan.

"Hang on," she told him and he stopped shaking her hand. "The catch is I return this after you battle me."

"What?!" Touma asked in shocked.

"Onee-sama!" Kuroko scolded. "You can't hold someone's Pokedex hostage!" Ruiko and Kazari looked at each other in shock, but didn't say anything.

"How about it?" Mikoto asked with a grin on her face.

"She's a bold one Kami-yan," Motoharu laughed. "You should go ahead and battle her. I'll referee. There is a practice field not too far away you two can use."

"It doesn't look like I have a choice," Touma sighed. "Okay Misaka, I'll battle you."

"Heh," Mikoto chuckled with a smirk. "I knew you would see things my way." The group consisting of two boys and four girls made their way to the dirt arena. Kazari and Ruiko introduced themselves to Touma and his friend Motoharu. Kuroko gave them a brief greeting, but Mikoto felt Kuroko's eyes on her. Kuroko obviously thought something was going on between her and the boy. _Nothing is going on,_ she thought firmly to herself. _I only want to see how strong his Rampardos truly is. I'm the best in my year, so it's time I take on older and more experienced trainers. Nothing else, just that. Sure the city gave me some adults to practice with, but they don't know what they are doing. I need someone like me and who understands me. I mean… a student in Academy City. That's what I meant. Nothing else._

When they arrived, Kazari, Ruiko, and Kuroko sat on a bench with Chikorita, Popplio, and Abra. They thought it would be a good idea for their Pokémon to witness a real Pokémon battle. When Mikoto walked over to her side of the rectangular field with white border lines, they cheered for her. When Touma moved over to his side, Ruiko and Popplio were the only one who actually shouted encouragements, while Kazari only clapped politely. Kuroko crossed her arms and looked jealous at all the attention the boy was gaining from Mikoto. Mikoto could tell Touma didn't want to be here, but she needed to see how good he was. "You better not go easy on me!" she yelled and pointed threateningly at him. "I still have your Pokedex!" She held it up for him to see, to make sure he understood.

"I know," Touma reassured her. "But I doubt Rampardos knows how to hold back."

"Okay you two lovebirds," Motoharu interjected, as he stepped up to the sideline.

"We aren't lovebirds!" Touma and Mikoto yelled at him simultaneously.

"This will be a one on one Pokémon battle," Motoharu continued, as if he had not heard them. "No substitutes allowed and the battle will last until one trainer's Pokémon is no longer able to continue. Choose your Pokémon!"

"Go Pikachu!" Mikoto yelled out, as she threw a pokeball.

"PIka!" Pikachu said confidently, after it appeared in a flash of red light.

"Rampardos," Touma said. "You're up." He tossed his own pokeball.

"Rampardos!" Rampardos roared out loudly. It stamped its foot with a thud and looked at Pikachu.

"Do you best Pikachu!" Kazari called out. "You too Rampardos!" Chikorita waved the leaf on top of its head around excitedly.

"You both are great!" Ruiko added excitedly. "Give it your all!" Popplio clapped its flippers next to her and blew a large bubble before it burst. Rampardos looked at the spectators cheering and grinned at them. Pikachu nodded its head in thanks and turned its attention back to its opponent.

"Go onee-sama!" Kuroko cheered. "Teach the ape what true talent is!"

"Let the battle begin!" Motoharu yelled. He raised his hand and brought it down sharply.

"Pikachu!" Mikoto shouted. "Let's start things off! Thunder Shock!" Pikachu nodded and started to glow with yellow-white electricity.

"Piiikaaachuu!" Pikachu yelled and unleashed a torrent of electricity at Rampardos. Rampardos didn't get a chance to dodge and the electricity washed over it.

"Hah," Mikoto laughed. "Rampardos is only a rock type, so electricity will work." She made a fist in excitement and then her eyes widened as Rampardos shook its body and brushed off the electricity. "What?!"

"You have to do better than that," Touma told her and held out a hand. "Rampardos, Headbutt!" Rampardos roared in response. It started charging and lowered his head. Mikoto knew how much force was behind the attack and she begun to panic.

"Dodge to the left!" Mikoto yelled. "Quick!" Pikachu jumped and managed to avoid Rampardos's head by a hairs width. Pikachu landed on its feet right as Rampardos stopped and turned. Rampardos immediately charged again and Pikachu had to roll to the side to avoid it. _A single hit from Rampardos will be devastating,_ Mikoto thought with a hand over her mouth. _But Pikachu is more agile than it is. Okay, I have an idea._ Her mind worked overtime as she pictured the next few steps. "Pikachu!" she yelled. "When it charges, you have to charge straight towards it!"

"Pika?" Pikachu asked in confusion as it looked at her.

"Trust me." Pikachu nodded and turned back to Rampardos.

"Try to predict their movement," Touma told Rampardos. "We only need one clean hit." Rampardos nodded. "Okay, use Headbutt!"

"Rampard!" Rampardos lowered its head and charged. To Touma's surprise, Pikachu charged straight at Rampardos. They were closing in on each other when Mikoto acted.

"Tuck and roll!" Pikachu dived under Rampardos's head and rolled up into a ball. Pikachu avoided the Headbutt and managed to roll between Rampardos's back legs. It uncurled and then jumped up into the air as Rampardos tried to turn around.

"Iron Tail!" Mikoto yelled and punched the air excitedly.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled as it turned in midair. Its tail started to glow pure white and it smacked Rampardos squarely in the side.

"Rampardos!" Rampardos cried out in pain as it left a grove about a foot long in the ground from the force. It turned around and Mikoto saw something that made her gulp. The cheerful demeanor was gone and Rampardos had fire burning in its eyes. It now considered Pikachu a worthy opponent and was going to go all out. This change slowed Mikoto's reaction time by a second, but it was long enough for Touma.

"Hit it before it lands!" Touma ordered and Rampardos charged.

"Pikachu!" Mikoto shouted urgently. "Iron Tail again, quick!" Pikachu flipped vertically in midair and brought its glowing tail down at Rampardos, as Rampardos brought its head upwards. They collided in midair with a bang.

Pikachu was sent flying.

"Pikachu!" Mikoto cried out when Pikachu hit the ground. "Are you okay? Can you continue?"

"Pika!" Pikachu answered with a nod. It stood shakily to its feet.

"How is that possible?" Kuroko asked aghast. "Iron Tail is a steel-type move and Rampardos is a rock type. It should be super effective. Yet, it was defeated by a simple Headbutt."

"Is Rampardos that high of a level?" Kazari asked, almost equally as shocked.

"Maybe," Ruiko shrugged, but she made a fist. "This match is so exciting."

"Rampardos!" Rampardos cried out in victory.

"Don't celebrate yet," Touma warned him. "They are still in this." Rampardos turned to look at him with a steely eye and nodded. A small yellow strip of electricity passed over its back for an instant, something Kuroko didn't miss.

"Hah," she said happily. "It was affected by Pikachu's Static."

"Huh?" Kazari asked. "What's that?" Kuroko knew Mikoto and Pikachu longer than the other girls, so she knew about Pikachu's ability.

"It's Pikachu's ability," Kuroko explained. "When a Pokémon physically hits Pikachu, there's a chance for it to become paralyzed."

"That's cool," Ruiko said and Popplio barked excitedly. "So it will be slower and there is a chance it won't be able to move."

"Misaka-san has the advantage then," Kazari commented and the other girls nodded.

"Not quite," Motoharu laughed and turned his head to face them. "You didn't take into account Mold Breaker."

"What's that?" Kuroko asked and her eyes narrowed.

"It's Rampardos' ability," Motoharu informed her. His grin never left his face. "Mold Breaker ignores the effects of abilities that could potentially affect a move that it performs. Static won't work."

"Oh no," Kuroko gasped.

"That is horrible luck," Ruiko groaned. While the girls were talking, Mikoto and Touma were having their own discussion.

"How did you teach your Pikachu Iron Tail?" Touma asked.

"A lot of training," Mikoto replied and crossed her arms smugly. "I was tired of people using rock and ground-types against me. Steel-type moves work great against them and no one expects it." She frowned. "But what is up with your Rampardos. It got hit twice, yet it looks perfectly fine."

"Rampard ram!" Rampardos bragged.

"Pikachu," Pikachu answered sharply. "Pika pika chu!"

"Rampardos?"

"Pika!"

"Since Rampardos uses Headbutt all the time," Touma explained. "He's developed a pretty sturdy body." Touma glanced at Rampardos. "I haven't seen him this excited in a while. He loves fighting strong opponents."

 _Strong, huh?_ Mikoto thought. She liked the sound of that. It was one thing for one of her friends, like Kuroko, to tell her that. It was another for a random boy with a strong Pokémon to say so. "Heh," she laughed slightly. "Maybe I'll get you to use a different move than Headbutt."

"That might be tough," Touma replied embarrassed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Why?" Mikoto asked confused.

"Rampardos only knows Headbutt."

"What?!" Mikoto wasn't the only one surprised at this announcement. Kuroko, Ruiko, and Kazari all were in shock too. Motoharu, on the other hand, was laughing. "How is that even possible!? Rampardos is obviously a high level, so it should know at least a couple moves!"

"I don't know," Touma replied with a shrug. "When Charmeleon and I caught him, he was only using Headbutt. He never used another move since then."

"Did you check to see what moves it knew?" Mikoto asked puzzled.

"You can do that?" Touma asked, equally as bewildered.

"Ape!" Kuroko yelled out and they turned to her. "You have a Pokedex! Didn't you know you can see the moves of your Pokémon?!"

"You can use a Pokedex for that?!" Touma asked wildly and then turned to Motoharu. "You knew about this," Touma accused him. "Didn't you? You told me there wasn't a way."

"I might have been mistaken," Motoharu replied and grinned. It was obvious he told Touma that on purpose.

"Hey Misaka," Touma said. "Can I see my Pokedex? You still have it."

"No way," Mikoto replied. "I want to see this." She pulled out his Pokedex and started browsing until she pulled up Rampardos' profile. Her mouth dropped open. "How does he know Ice Beam?!"

"He knows Ice Beam?" Touma repeated bewildered. "What else does he know!?"

"I'm not telling you," Mikoto said quickly. She saw the other two moves Rampardos knew and she dreaded seeing them in action. "You have to wait until after our battle. We are still in the middle of it." Touma didn't seem to be paying her much attention, as he was now focused on Rampardos.

"Why didn't you say you had other moves?" Touma demanded at Rampardos. Rampardos turned around and walked over to him.

"Rampardos," Rampardos explained. "Ram Rampard."

"Why did you never show me one of your moves?" Rampardos shrugged. "What if we fought a ghost-type where you couldn't hit it?" Rampardos looked away guiltily. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Dos," Rampardos answered and hung its head. While this exchange was going on, the girls were watching them intently.

"Does he understand Rampardos?" Ruiko asked.

"It actually looks like he does," admitted Kuroko. "But that's impossible."

"Well," Kazari interjected and they looked at her. "That isn't necessarily true. Remember, we were told from several guest speakers that once you share a connection with your Pokémon, you can understand them." She rubbed Chikorita's back. "I hope I can achieve that someday." Chikorita sighed happily.

"Are we going to finish or what?" Mikoto asked impatiently, while she tapped her foot. She had to admit to herself, she was a little jealous. She and Pikachu were just beginning to truly understand each other. _That's the kind of bond I want to get. He really is more experienced than me. Maybe I can learn from him… but he's an idiot. He's not bad looking though… wait, that didn't have anything to do with Pokémon._

"Will you use the moves if I call them out?" Touma asked Rampardos.

"Ram!" Rampardos nodded eagerly.

"Okay then," Touma said and fist bumped the top of Rampardos' head. "Get out there and do your best." Rampardos turned around, hit Touma in the face with the end of its tail, and walked back out into the arena. "We are ready!" Touma called out, as he rubbed his sore nose.

"Great," Mikoto replied. "Pikachu, Rampardos is physically stronger than you, but you are faster. Let's use that to our advantage, until we can get an opening to strike."

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"Quick attack!" Mikoto yelled and Pikachu bolted forward leaving behind a trail of white light. Quick Attack was a normal-type attack and would not be very effective against a rock-type like Rampardos. Instead, Pikachu would use the speed to run around Rampardos, until an opening appeared. It seemed to be working, as Rampardos kept turning its head around to follow Pikachu and Rampardos started to get dizzy.

"Slow it down!" Touma called out. "Use Ice Beam on the ground!"

"Rampard!" A blue orb appeared when Rampardos opened his mouth and three blue-white beams shot out of it. They hit the ground and a thin layer of ice appeared. The ice began to spread as Rampardos slowly rotated its head. Pikachu stepped on the ice and slipped. It fell down and continued to slide.

"Pikachu!" Mikoto cried out. "Get up, hurry!" Pikachu struggled and it managed to sink its tiny claws into the ice to slow down, but that was a fatal mistake.

"Headbutt!" Rampardos charged forward and lowered its head. Rampardos weighed a lot more than Pikachu and had larger claws on its feet. When it stepped on the ice, it cracked under the weight, which gave Rampardos plenty of traction. Pikachu was unable to move out of the way and Rampardos landed a direct attack.

"PIKA!" Pikachu cried out in pain as it was sent flying into the air.

"I got you!" Mikoto yelled and raised her arms up. She managed to catch Pikachu, but fell backwards from the momentum. "Are you okay?" Pikachu nodded, but it didn't look like it could continue the battle. "You did great. There's nothing to be ashamed off." Mikoto added the last bit because Pikachu looked sad.

"Pikachu is unable to battle!" Motoharu declared. "The winner is Rampardos!"

"You did it!" Touma shouted and fist bumped Rampardos's head. "I knew you could. See? Using other moves works." Rampardos nudged him in the arm. "I know you like to use Headbutt. I'll make sure you have plenty of opportunities to use it." Ramaprdos looked pleased.

"Onee-sama lost," Kuroko said dejectedly, as she and the others made their way to Touma and Mikoto.

"You both fought valiantly," Kazari complimented. "It was a good match. You both are really strong."

"I have a long ways to go still," Mikoto sighed.

"Pikachu," Pikachu agreed slightly solemnly.

"Cheer up," Ruiko said and pulled out a small container from her bag. "Here, have a treat for working so hard." Pikachu's ears perked up as Ruiko handed it one of her Pokémon treats. Pikachu yanked it out of her hand and bit into it happily, all the unpleasantness from the lost faded away. "Here you go Rampardos," Ruiko continued and turned. "You can have one too." Rampardos sniffed the air and hastily gobbled down the treat.

"That reaction," Touma muttered. "Are those the same treats Misaka had earlier?"

"Yep," Ruiko answered and gave him a victory sign. "I made them."

"Saten-san is a great cook," Mikoto explained to him. "She makes us Pokémon food all the time."

"I might need to get some from you then," Touma said and Ruiko laughed.

"Your Rampardos is amazing," Kazari said and put her hand on its side. "He's such a nice color and looks well trained."

"We have to do a lot of training," Touma admitted. "He always has a lot of pent up energy."

"I remember seeing that," Mikoto said with a slight chuckle. "It gets you in trouble a lot." She felt weird, like she was slightly irritated Touma was spending time with her friends, but she marked that off as remaining resentment at losing. She was very competitive, but she didn't want to be a sore loser. Besides, it wasn't like she was upset she lost. This solidified her belief that she really needed to get out of the city more to learn.

"So Kami-yan," Motoharu said and slapped him on the back. "I think you found the one."

"Huh?" Touma asked suspiciously. "Don't you go saying something stupid-…"

"I meant for the tag-team tournament," Motoharu cut him off. "You still need a partner right?" Mikoto's ears perked up.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **Note for the readers:**

 **Mold Breaker actually does not work on Static in the games, but it worked twice in the TV show, and I thought it would fit better if I followed that route.**


	4. Surprise

**I have way too much fun writing this story, so it's actually being updated faster than I planned. I noticed a lot more people are reading this, so I'm glad people are enjoying it. Crossovers are sometimes weird to write when you have to combine two completely different worlds. Luckily, if I take out abilities and replace them with Pokémon, it works out really well. Anyway, nothing really new to report, so moving onto comments.**

 **Brosephg: The information on Misaki's adventure has a point, and you will learn soon enough. You know me. I always do things for a reason.**

 **naruhinasakufan1: Touma Kamijou is way too strong for what he knows and does. Skit you provided gets 9.5/10.**

 **WiliamZ0: I made the mistake of googling Gardevior. Why are there so many traumatizing pictures? I think my mind is putting a mental block on it now.**

 **vietnamese guy: Golden Magikarp, it is special. I wanted a Pokémon that charged in head first without thinking of the consequences. What could be better than the Headbutt Pokémon?**

 **FrodoFighter: It's not mean, it's arrogant. Big difference. Rampardos is a strange Pokémon with two moves left to be revealed. You will have to wait and see. Why wouldn't Mikoto have the Kami-yan Disease already? He saved her twice, told her he supported her dream, and then showed off how strong he was but at the same time being humble about it. It's a golden Magikarp that learned Judgement.**

 **Agent Nine: There's a familiar face.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: That was hilarious. Imagine Touma using Zapdos and Mikoto getting all jealous and trying to get him to trade it to her. Charmeleon will get his chance to shine.**

 **ultron emperor: Of course Accelerator will come into play. He is the strongest after all.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or Pokémon. I wish I did so I could retire rich.**

* * *

Academy City would periodically hold tournaments. Since there were so many student trainers there, along with countless of visiting trainers, it was an opportunity for everyone to test out their Pokémon and meet new people. To mix it up, Academy City would keep changing the tournament rules. Sometimes it would be one on one with everyone only allowed one Pokémon. Sometimes you could have up to three. They had team competitions, where one person would battle until they lost and then their teammate took over. The tag team tournament approaching was a simultaneous two on two battle. Mikoto had attended several of these tournaments, but she was always upset at one requirement the city upheld.

It was only open to high school students and up.

Middle school students were given their first Pokémon and then were expected to learn while raising it. The city believed the trainers should focus more of understanding theory of types, caretaking, strategy in battles, and similar topics long before they applied it in practice. Eventually, the students would take field trips further into the Nelos region to catch their own wild Pokémon. They would then spend the rest of their time in middle school learning and forming bonds with their new Pokémon. Once in high school, the students were considered mature enough to handle competitive combat and the stress of battle. During team competitions, high school students who wanted to participate could invite a younger student if they wished.

Mikoto knew this.

"I wasn't planning to enter," Touma told Motoharu. "You and Aogami joined as a team, which left me high and dry."

"Sorry Kami-yan," Motoharu replied and put his arm over Touma's shoulder. "The Delta Force can't stick together when pairs are required." He grinned. "You should be thanking us anyways. Now you have the opportunity to invite your lady friend here."

"I'm sure she wouldn't want to pair up with me," Touma started to say dismissively.

"Hang on!" Mikoto interrupted. She had found her voice and it was now or never. "I never said I wasn't interested."

"Huh?" Touma turned to her.

"Don't do it onee-sama," Kuroko said from behind Mikoto. "It's not worth-…" She was cut off as Ruiko and Kazari covered her mouth.

"You should let Misaka-san decide," Ruiko told her.

"I want to see what happens," Kazari added. Kuroko glared daggers at them, which caused them to sweat, but she didn't struggle.

"I never got to participate in one of those tournaments," Mikoto told Touma. She was really excited, but tried to remain calm. _Word this right. You don't want anyone to get the wrong idea. I would never hear the end of it from Saten-san and Kuroko. Getting into this tournament is the important thing, but we may have to train together to get in sync. Train by ourselves. Alone._ She mentally shook her head and stared at Touma. "They don't let middle school students in them normally. I want to test out how well I can perform against experienced trainers." She increased the intensity of her glare to hide her embarrassment.

"Well," Touma said nervously and scratched the back of his head. "I don't really have a reason to refuse if you are interested and willing." He reached into his bag and started rummaging around.

"Great," Mikoto replied and clapped her hands together excitedly. Touma looked up and handed her a slightly crumpled up form. It was obvious he had not been planning to participate by the way he treated the piece of paper. Mikoto looked it over, scribbled down her name and school ID number, and handed it back to him. "I won't have to wait another year to finally get to participate."

"Are you sure you are okay with me as a partner?" Touma asked, as took the paper back.

 _Partner?_ Mikoto thought instantly. For some reason, her face flushed slightly. "I-I s-suppose I can be your partner this t-time." Her voice trembled slightly, but she tried to play it off. "I-It's n-not like I have a-another way to get to p-participate i-idiot." Ruiko and Kazari noticed this and smiled knowingly at each other. Kuroko's face paled and she began to struggle against them, but they held firm.

"Okay," Touma sighed. "Please don't call me an idiot during the tournament please."

"No promises," Mikoto answered with a grin. _Awesome. I get to battle against experienced trainers and I also get to learn from this guy._ "Are you planning to use Ramaprdos?"

"He draws way too much attention," Touma said, and then he sighed again. "Way more than I need. I'll probably use Charmeleon."

"Rampar?!" Ramaprdos exclaimed in shock. Insulted, it lowered its head and rammed Touma in the back. The force sent him flying several meters. Kuroko and Motoharu burst out laughing, but Mikoto, Kazari, and Ruiko could only stare in shock.

"That is why you draw too much attention!" Touma scolded Ramaprdos, as he stood up. "Besides being rare and all."

"Rampard, ram Rampardos!" Mikoto was so busy watching those two bicker, she didn't notice Motoharu sneaking up right next to her.

"Hey Misaka-san," he whispered and she jumped slightly in surprise.

"Yes?"

"I thought you might be interested in this," Motoharu told her and handed her a piece of paper with a number on it. Mikoto looked at him confused. "It's Kami-yan's ID number."

"Why would I need this?" Mikoto asked, still confused. She took the piece of paper, but didn't understand the significance of it.

"You see," Motoharu explained and the grin on his face widened. Mikoto had a feeling all of this was for his own amusement, rather than Touma's or her benefit. "Have you heard of the mentorship program?" Mikoto nodded. The mentorship program was when a younger student would team up with an older student for the purpose of learning. The schools would allow them to join each other on field trips and do occasional joint exercise, while at the same time earning credit. "If someone happened to put forth a mentorship application to work with Kami-yan, his school and teacher would get notified. Kami-yan happens to need a lot of extra credit to cover his missed classes, which this program provides. Our teacher would probably spring it up on him and he wouldn't be able to refuse."

Mikoto's eyes widened.

* * *

Mikoto was sitting in class, but she was not paying much attention to the lecture. It had been two days since she met Touma and she hadn't seen him since their battle. They were two very long days, not because she missed him, but because of someone else. Kuroko had been keeping next to her every chance she got. The only time Mikoto had any peace was in class and then she had to focus on school work. She never had a moment to herself. Her teacher was currently reviewing the importance of type selection. Since many Pokémon were more than one type, choosing attacks was incredibly important in battle. Flying-type moves were super effective against bug-types for example, but were weak against rock-types. If a flying-type move was used against a rock and bug-type, it would only deal normal damage. Mikoto knew all this and the topic annoyed her because people would always tell her having only electric types would put her at a disadvantage.

 _I proved them wrong though,_ Mikoto thought satisfied, as she remembered a pleasant memory from yesterday. A girl from another class challenge Mikoto to a battle, which Mikoto accepted. The girl released a Rhyhorn and Mikoto realized it must have been one of the ones from outside the city. She grinned and figured this would be a perfect time to use her newest Pokémon. Girls from her school knew she liked to use electric Pokémon and they loved to use types that were strong against them, like ground types. Rhyhorn was a ground and rock-type, so it would be immune to electricity, but rock was weak against steel. Magnemite dominated the battle with supersonic and Magnet Bomb. Mikoto was doubly excited about her victory because it was Magnemite's first real battle. It seemed happy too and Mikoto knew they would make a great team.

 _So bored,_ Mikoto thought as she stared out across the school grounds. It was another nice sunny day. She wanted to skip class, but too many unexcused absences would eventually lead to trouble she did not want to deal with. _I wish something would happen._ She got her wish.

"Mikoto Misaka, please report to the principal's office. Repeat, Mikoto Misaka, please report to the principal's office." Mikoto's head shot up when the announcement came through the class speaker.

"Go ahead Misaka-san," her teacher said and pointed to the door. Mikoto stood up and left. She was a little nervous, and had no idea why the principal wanted to see her. She had already been lectured about skipping class again. Mikoto reached the principal's office and knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in." Mikoto opened the door and stepped into the office. The principal was an elderly woman with grey hair tied up into a bun and wore glasses. She was known to be a kind individual who cared deeply about the students. She was rarely strict and only when needed. "You don't have to look so worried Misaka-san," she said kindly and smiled. "You are not in trouble. I only want to ask you a few questions. Please, have a seat."

"Yes ma'am," Mikoto answered respectfully and sat down.

"Misaka-san," the principal said and then paused. "You know if something is bothering you, you can tell me, right?"

"Huh?" Mikoto was now incredibly confused.

"I know you tend to skip class," the principal continued. "I try to look the other way because you keep your grades up and have performed exceptionally well in practical lessons. The thing is, I'm worried about people who might try to take advantage of you sneaking out."

"I can take care of myself," Mikoto replied quickly. _I should have known. They are going to tell me sneaking out into the woods by myself is dangerous. The only group around here is some thugs who call themselves Team… I forgot what. They don't cause any serious problems._

"I know," the principal replied and nodded. "But I need to ask, is someone trying to take advantage of you?"

"EH!" Mikoto did not expect this. "W-what d-do y-you m-mean t-take a-advantage!" Her face flushed.

"Try to see it from our point of view," she explained. "You did not attend class and no one knew where you went. When you came back, you suddenly put forth an application for the mentorship program, something you told me you were not interested in."

"That's because-…," Mikoto tried to explain, but she stopped and her face continued to burn. _Calm down and take a deep breath. Explain it rationally to her._

"Then," the principal continued. "I received a form showing you signed up for the tag team tournament coming up." She paused. "I was pleased you were taking the initiative to learn and grow, so I took a look at the person you want to mentor with." She frowned. "I actually know the school he attends, a friend of mine works there, and it's pretty ordinary. It's not something a student from Tokiwadai would be used to, but that's not why I'm worried. I know you would be fine. You have the ability to get along with anyone. What I am worried about is this boy's grades." She pulled out a folder and took a look. "He is barely passing and has missed a lot of classes. From this report, I would almost think he's a delinquent."

"He's not!" Mikoto protested a little too quickly. Her outburst caused the principal to raise an eyebrow.

"How about you tell me then why you decided he should be your mentor?"

 _How should I explain this?_ Mikoto thought. _If I explain how we first met, she probably won't sign off on the mentorship form._ Mikoto sighed and decided on the truth, part of it at least. "I did meet him two days ago by accident. We talked a bit and he seemed kind of," she paused for the right word. "Unusual. He was definitely nice and his Pokémon were really interesting. He even had a Riolu."

"Oh? That is a rare Pokémon."

"I know," Mikoto agreed. "But he never bragged about it. He watched me catch a wild Pokémon and then we parted ways. We met again by chance that afternoon and I challenge him to a Pokémon battle." She sighed and hung her head. "He defeated me so easily." That was difficult to admit. "His Pokémon are really strong and still he never rubbed it in my face. He's the kind of trainer I want to be and I heard he needed a partner for the tournament from his classmate. I then took the opportunity to apply for the mentorship."

"I see." The principal looked at Mikoto for a second and then smiled. "You seem sincere, so I have no problems with your application." She pulled out a pen and signed it.

"Really?!" Mikoto asked excitedly.

"I trust you know what this program entails, right?" Mikoto nodded. "Excellent, then we can skip the introduction. You know, I had already planned to accept your application. I knew how serious you are about becoming a trainer and you wouldn't choose anyone without good reason. I only wanted to make sure there was nothing shady happening to you."

"Thank you," Mikoto told her sincerely. _Everything is working out really well. Maybe if I show how strong I am at the tournament, they will let me leave the city for a while to go on an adventure._ "It means a lot that you trust me like this."

"Since today is Friday," her principal said and smiled. "And I talked with your teachers already to make sure they could provide the homework for you. The plan was to release you from classes early and meet this Kamijou-san at his school for an hour or two."

"Huh?" Mikoto asked. Things were happening to fast for her. She still didn't know how much Touma knew about this. "Already? Isn't it kind of soon?"

"I thought you were the type who liked to move quickly?" Mikoto looked away in embarrassment. "His teacher, and friend of mine, has already agreed and will be there to meet you. His class spends most of Friday afternoons to work on applying their lessons to actual battles, so I think it will be a good opportunity for you to meet everyone and maybe even practice against some older students."

"Wow!" Mikoto gasped. "This is better than I expected."

"I'm glad you are pleased," her principal continued. "I'll finish the arrangements then. I know you will make our school proud." She glanced down at a paper on her desk. "Oh there is one other thing. You are not the only one who requested a mentorship this week. Someone else did too and, unusually, they also requested this young man."

"Who?" Mikoto asked, but she felt a sinking sensation in her gut. She didn't know anyone from her school who knew Touma directly except Kuroko. _She wouldn't…_

"Your classmate, Misaki Shokuhou."

* * *

"I can't believe you did this," Mikoto mumbled to Misaki. "How do you even know him?"

Both of them sat in the back of a taxi and had almost reached Touma' school. It was an understatement to say Mikoto had been shocked at learning Misaki had been planning to have Touma as a mentor. Misaki tended to get on her nerves, but she was somewhat grateful they only had to drive there together and most of the school day went by normally. Neither of them talked to each other, except a brief acknowledgement, but Mikoto could not contain herself forever from asking the question. It had been gnawing at her all day and, if she didn't ask, it would eventually cause her to explode.

"Whatever do you mean?" Misaki asked innocently and leaned over until she was uncomfortably close to Mikoto's face. "Are you referring to the fact I had put forth my mentorship application several days before you did?"

"Yes," Mikoto muttered. "Now answer the question."

"I don't want to," Misaki replied and smiled. Mikoto sighed and pushed her away. "But I'll let you in on a secret. He and I go way back and I'm sure he will be happy to see me. You are bound to find out the details when he recognizes me." She leaned back in her seat and smiled at Mikoto. Her voice grew softer as she continued. "I will make something clear for you. Regardless of what happened between you two, I'm not going to lose. As his childhood friend, I'm way ahead of you."

"EH!" Mikoto exclaimed. "What nonsense are you talking about? We are only friends and I see him as a rival!" _Is she trying to imply we are in 'that' kind of relationship? There's no way that's true. I admire him, but only as role model and a rival to train against. There's no way I would like him like 'that' after just meeting him. Even if he saved me and encouraged me to continue down the route I desire and not what other people say, it's not possible to just fall for someone like that. Shokuhou-san is only trying to antagonize me._ Her face felt hot and turned slightly pink.

"You are so easy to read," Misaki pointed out with a superior gleam in her eye. "It's what makes you so much fun to tease."

"Leave me alone," Mikoto snapped and turned to look out the window. "I don't see why you can't be nice to me instead of pretending."

"Who said I was pretending?" Misaki asked and Mikoto glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. Misaki was pouting and Mikoto rolled her eyes.

 _Don't rise to her taunts,_ Mikoto had to keep repeating to herself. They talked a little more, but Mikoto refused to give Misaki the satisfaction of reacting to her teasing, so the ride the rest of the way was pretty quiet. The car eventually stopped and Mikoto received a good look at the high school. Compared to Tokiwadai, it was not nearly as extravagant and it even looked slightly run down, like the walls could use a bit of maintenance. Mikoto was a little more open minded, but she knew a lot of girls in Tokiwadai came from high class families and would be appalled to go here. _I bet Shokuhou feels the same way. She only wears name brand clothes and buys top of the line beauty products._ To her surprise, when Mikoto looked over at Misaki, she was staring out the window with a cheerful expression.

"We have arrived already?" Misaki exclaimed and clapped her hands together. "My, that didn't take long at all. Let's go Misaka-san." Misaki reached over and grabbed Mikoto's wrist. Mikoto was pulled out of the taxi after Misaki and they walked up to the front gate.

"You don't have to be so pushy," Mikoto told her. "We don't need to rush." Misaki just ignored her. Mikoto had a feeling Misaki really wanted to see Touma and this puzzled her. _I really want to know how she knows him, but she's not planning to tell me. I'm going to have to get the answers from him._ She felt an unpleasant sensation in her gut at the thought of him and Misaki, but she passed it off as lunch not completely agreeing with her. They arrived at the front gate and a teacher met them.

"Are you Mikoto Misaka and Misaki Shokuhou?" he asked. They nodded and he opened the gate. "If you would follow me, please." He led them into a meeting room and motioned them to have a seat. "Your mentor and his teacher will be here shortly." He left and shut the door behind him.

"I bet you're excited Misaka-san," Misaki told her. "We are the first ones in our class to actually have a mentor."

"Yeah," Mikoto agreed. "Let alone a boy. Our school had been pressuring me to find someone from Tokiwadai High School for a while."

"You should have," Misaki told her earnestly. "They would suit you much better than here."

"You just don't want me to be mentored by him," Mikoto replied. Misaki pretended to look innocent, but Mikoto could tell that was true. "Why don't you just tell me how you know him in the first place?"

"I don't want to," Misaki answered again. "A girl has to keep some secrets." She made a cute pose and used her hand to make a V shape over her eye.

"You are so frustrating," Mikoto sighed and slammed her head on the table.

"And you are rather uncivilized," Misaki responded evenly. They both glared at each other for a moment and then sat in silence. The minutes passed and then they heard two voices outside the door.

"I still think this is a mistake," said the familiar voice of Touma Kamijou. "I don't think anyone would want to be mentored by me. I don't even know how to be a mentor."

"I'm sure you will do fine," a very young girl's voice told him. "You were requested personally and you need the extra credit, so you won't have to repeat a year. This is the perfect opportunity."

"I guess I really don't have a choice," Touma sighed. "I'll do it."

"If you need any help, I'll be happy to give you some advice. Now, let's go meet your pupils." The door creaked open and a little girl with bright pink hair walked in, follow by Touma. "Hello," the girl greeted them and then turned to Touma. "This is Mikoto Misaka and Misaki Shokuhou. They will be in your care during the mentorship program." Mikoto was momentarily stunned the girl was talking like a teacher, when she only looked roughly ten years old.

"Misaka?!" Touma exclaimed in shock. Mikoto couldn't really say anything, but gave him a wave and slightly embarrassed smile. Touma blinked and then turned to Misaki. There was an odd look on his face, like he was trying to remember something. Misaki was grinning, but didn't say anything. The girl was about to say something else, when another teacher stuck her head into the room.

"Komoe-sensei," she said. "We have a problem and need your help for a minute."

"Okay," Komoe said. "You three take a chance to get to know each other and I'll be back momentarily." She left the room and shut the door behind them.

"So," Touma said and turned to Mikoto, while he scratched his head. "I'm not sure what to say here. I knew we agreed to take part in the tournament coming up, but why, or even how, did you request me for a mentor?"

"Your friend helped me out," Mikoto explained.

"Tsuchimikado," Touma mumbled. "I should have known."

"Besides," Mikoto continued. "After our battle, I knew you would be the perfect choice. My school has been telling me I should participate in the program, but I didn't like any of the mentors they recommended. I wanted something who could understand that I'm different and have my own goals. Plus, they need to be strong so I can get stronger too."

"I'm not really that strong though," Touma muttered and then grew silent under the glare Mikoto gave him. He avoided her eyes and moved onto Misaki. "Err, I have a feeling we met before. You look kind of familiar." Mikoto's mood instantly worsened when she heard that. Part of her had wanted to believe Misaki had been lying to antagonize her.

"You haven't changed at all," Misaki giggled. "It has been awhile since we first met and raised an Eevee together." She smiled and made the cute pose again.

"An Eevee and that pose," Touma muttered and then his mouth fell open. "Mi-chan?!"

"Bingo!" Misaki laughed.

"But…how?!" Touma gasped. "Weren't you overseas on some kind of exchange program?" He paused for a second. "You changed so much."

 _His gaze lowered thirty degrees,_ Mikoto fumed. _I know I saw that. All boys are the same!_

"I returned not even a week ago," Misaki told him and then grinned. "What about me has changed?" She walked over and nudged him in the side with her elbow.

"Umm," Touma stuttered and his ears were burning. "You, err, hold yourself differently and seem to be more confident?"

"Smooth."

"Okay." Mikoto finally couldn't keep quiet any longer and slammed a hand on the table. "This has been bothering me long enough. How do you two know each other?"

"It's kind of a weird story," Touma admitted.

"Do you want to tell her or should I?" Misaki asked.

"I guess I can," Touma said with a shrug. "It's not like it's a secret." A vein throbbed in Mikoto's head when her eyes locked with Misaki. "I was heading back to my dorm, when a really bad thunderstorm forced me to find shelter. I found an overhang outside a building and was planning to wait there until the storm passed. That's when I met Mi-chan. She was crouched next to a box. When I approached she turned to me and was crying. In the box was an Eevee that must have been abandoned."

"I wasn't crying," Misaki protested. "I was just upset someone would treat a Pokémon like that."

"That's horrible," Mikoto whispered.

"At the time," Touma continued. "Mi-chan was scared to touch a wild Pokémon, so I picked it up. We tried to take it to the Pokémon Center, but it was closed for some reason. We couldn't take it back to her dorm, so we took it back to mine. Charmander used the flame on its tail to help warm it up and Mi-chan managed to feed it. The next morning, we took it the center and it made a full recovery. I already had a Pokémon and the Eevee seemed to be more attached her, so we decided she should keep it."

"That's how you got your Eevee," Mikoto said and turned to Misaki.

"Yep," Misaki answered and grinned. "First one in our class to get a Pokémon." Mikoto scowled.

"We saw each other occasionally and then she went on an overseas exchange program." Touma shrugged. "We lost contact after that." He turned to Misaki. "How is Eevee doing?"

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Misaki suggested and grabbed the Pokeball on her hip. "Come on out!" In a flash of red light, Sylveon appeared on the table.

"Sylveon!" Sylveon glanced around the room and her eyes widened when she saw Touma. She bounded over and started cuddling against his arm, its ribbons wrapping around his arms.

"Your Eevee evolved?!" Touma asked and scratched Sylveon's back for a moment.

"She missed you," Misaki laughed. "I bet she would like to see your Charmander too."

"Good idea," Touma agreed and grabbed his own Pokeball. "I have a surprise for you too." He tossed his Pokeball out and Charmeleon appeared.

"Char," Charmeleon yawned. It didn't even get a chance to look around before Sylveon jumped on it.

"Sylveon! Syl syl Sylveon!"

"Charmeleon char?" Charmeleon's eyes widened. "Meleon."

"Veon," Sylveon replied and cuddled up close to Charmeleon. The ribbons were wrapped tightly around them.

"Your Charmander evolved too," Misaki said and clapped her hands together. "Congratulations." She glanced at their Pokémon. "Sylveon really wanted to meet you both again, but I think she had her eyes on Charmeleon." She held a hand up to her mouth and giggled.

"Looks that way," Touma agreed, but diverted his eyes. He noticed Charmeleon was embarrassed at the attention, but wasn't actively trying to escape.

 _I can't believe those two have that kind of history,_ Mikoto fumed silently. _No wonder she wasn't nervous about coming here._ Mikoto hid a fist under the table. _No way am I letting you win. If you monopolize his time, then I won't improve._ Other thoughts flashed through her mind, but she ignored them. _He's going to have to spend time with me when we train._ There was one thing Mikoto wanted to ask while the three of them were alone there. "That girl," Mikoto said and Misaki and Touma turned toward her. "The other teacher called her Komoe-sensei. She's not really a teacher, right?"

"I was wondering that too," Misaki added. "She looks like an elementary school student."

"She's actually an adult," Touma said and both of the girls gave him a skeptical look. "No, I'm being serious. For some reason she never aged. All the other staff knows her and she's a really good teacher."

"Then why are you on the verge of failing?" Mikoto asked and smirked.

"Please don't remind me," Touma answered depressed and tears started to flow out of his eyes. Before anyone could say anything else, Komoe walked back in.

"Sorry for that," she said. "Did you three get a chance to introduce yourselves?" They nodded. "Great!" She clapped her hands together. "I was so pleased to hear Kamijou-chan," the girls had to suppress a snicker at the 'chan' honorific, "had made an impression on students outside of the school. If you would all follow me please," she turned around and led them out the door. "We are going to meet the rest of my class. They are outside because we are in the middle of a practical lesson." She continued to talk and Mikoto hung on to every word.

 _Once you get past her appearance,_ Mikoto thought. _She does sound like a teacher. The world is a weird place and yet I'm stuck in this city._ Mikoto looked around the school while listening to Komoe explain, mainly to Touma, what the mentorship program entailed. Mikoto already knew they would have certain classes together during the week and some training exercises. They were also expected to spend time outside of school for the younger students to learn about real world situations. Mikoto was actually looking forward to this the most, because she wanted to see what Touma went through to become so strong. She felt several eyes on her as she passed and she felt a little nervous. Misaki's and her Tokiwadai uniforms stood out in a normal high school, so they were bound to attract attention. They left out the back entrance to the school and Mikoto's eyes widened in shock.

They had entered a warzone.

Boys and girls were shouting in every direction while their Pokémon were running all over the place. It was pure chaos. Based on the arenas, the class had started to do actual battles, but for some reason it turned into a free-for-all. There were explosions, shouting, and blasts of every element going off in every direction. Those not participating were standing on the side lines and cheering or egging people on. The center area had about ten people causing most of the damage and the shouting was only causing them to work even harder. There were no other teachers around and Mikoto assumed when Komoe left, the class descended into chaos. This was completely unknown to Mikoto, because the girls at Tokiwadai would never do something like this.

"Seems like everyone is having fun," Komoe commented cheerfully.

"Fun?" Misaki asked confused.

"This is complete chaos!" Mikoto exclaimed. She looked at Touma. "Why don't you look surprised?!"

"This is really normal for my class," Touma admitted and Mikoto's eyes widened in shock.

"I encourage my students to have fun," Komoe said, as she stepped forward. "But at this rate, they are going to bother the other classes." She pulled out a pokeball. "Tufftuff, it's time to calm everyone down." A Pokémon appeared that resembled a pink blob with stubby arms and legs. It had a fluffy, curled tuft of fur on its head, long, rabbit-like ears and large, blue eyes. It was covered in pink fur with a white underbelly and ear tips. Mikoto pulled out her Pokedex at the sight of it.

"Wigglytuff, the Balloon Pokémon. Its body is soft and rubbery. When angered, it will suck in air and inflate itself to an enormous size."

"Oh no!" Touma gasped and turned toward Mikoto and Misaki. "Quick, cover your ears!"

"Why?" Mikoto asked, but she instinctively covered her ears with her hands. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Misaki do it without protest.

"Tufftuff," Komoe said loudly. "Let's quiet everyone down. Use Sing!"

"Wigglytuff!" Wigglytuff jumped forward and started signing. Its song, calm and relaxing, was carried out across the field. Several of the students noticed the song and turned. They managed an expression of shock and horror, before their eyes began to droop. One by one, every trainer and their Pokémon fell to the ground, fast asleep.

"There we go," Komoe said cheerfully and then turned to Mikoto, Misaki, and Touma. "Help me wake everyone up please."

Mikoto could only stare at her.

* * *

High up in the air, a plane was approaching Academy City. This was a privately owned aircraft and there were very few people on board. One of them was a very famous trainer. In fact, he was the champion of the last Pokémon World Tournament. Each region may have had their own champion, but he managed to defeat them all. This individual wasn't even an adult. He was only a high school boy, though he had an unusual appearance. His hair was snow white and his eyes had a reddish gleam. He was also skinny with very pale skin. He was currently sitting in a very lush chair while listening to music from his headphones. He opened his eyes when a woman approached him.

"We will be arriving at Academy City in thirty minutes," the woman told him. She was in her mid-twenties and sported black hair tied up in a bun with glasses. She was the boy's manager and was in charge of making sure he kept his scheduled appearances.

"Whatever," the boy sighed. He reached over and grabbed his coffee. "This new area better have some strong trainers, or at least Pokémon. I'm getting sick of the others."

"The region has not been fully explored," the woman noted and glanced down at her tablet. "But it is home to one of the largest educational cities in the world, so it would not be unusual for them to have information on any legendary Pokémon in the area. As for trainers," she touched her tablet a few times, "Since they come from all over the world, you might find some skilled ones that haven't participated in tournaments."

"That's grasping at straws," Accelerator yawned. "The strong always want to show off their strength. It's part of life. They can't remain anonymous. Keep me updated if you find out anything interesting."

"I believe the city is also requesting you be a guest speaker to a couple of the more prestigious schools."

"Damn it," the boy spat out. "They always want something. Tell them I might if I have time." He waved his hand dismissively. The woman nodded and left him alone. He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. _It's boring at the top. Where is someone who can challenge me, someone who defies common sense? Shoot, I might as will be looking for Arceus to battle. The god of Pokémon would be the only true challenge._ He looked over to his right. All six of his pokeballs were sitting on an elaborate red cushion. Five of the six pokeballs look normal, but the six one stood out. It held the boy's most powerful Pokémon and the one that made him famous.

A normal pokeball had a red top and a white bottom with a black stripe in the middle.

The unique pokeball had a purple top, with two pink circles, and a large white letter M.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **It's time to play: WHO'S THAT POKEMON?!**

 **It's a very simple game, but with added difficulty because there are no pictures. To make it more family friendly, you can earn partial points. The rules are as followed. I will ask a question about what Pokémon someone has, and you have the opportunity to give two answers. The first is trying to name which specific Pokémon it is. You get five points if you get the name right. If you get the name wrong, you still have a chance for some points! Your second guess is the type of the trainer's Pokémon. If you get this right, you get one point. (With a lot of duel types, you have a good chance to get at least one point.)**

 **So, remember, the name of the Pokémon, and then your back up of the specific type.**

 **This week's question:**

 **Who is the new boy's Pokémon?**


	5. Lessons

**Well, the results are in for the first round of, Who's That Pokémon? Yes, it was obvious. The Pokémon was Mewtwo and it is a psychic type. (Keep track of your own scores.) A lot of people had ideas for Accelerator's line up and I'm going to give this small spoiler, Mewtwo, Wobbuffet, Awesome Pokémon, His starter Pokémon, and two other really strong, probably pseudo-legendries. Couple chapters before he does his normal thing. People seem to be enjoying this crossover, so I must be doing something right. Now, on to the comments.**

 **Salishious: Magic side characters will eventually show up.**

 **Sesshoru: I don't know if he can have such a cool Pokémon. Well, obviously his fourth Pokémon is some epic legendary, or a golden Magikarp.**

 **ImagineBreaker7: Mikoto and Misaki are two of the best girls.**

 **Dragonskyt: Everyone thinks it's Mewtwo and I was going in that direction anyways.**

 **Brosephg: My friend's younger sister bickered with people all the time when she was that age, so I just went with it. If someone saves your life, you tend to be obsessed with them for a bit. Obsession can change to something else if you have the opportunity to spend time with them.**

 **Agent Nine: It has to be the OP Pokémon.**

 **WiliamZ0: Too late, I did. Being forced to go to sleep scares people. They should only sleep when they want to. Accelerator vs Touma is going to cause a world shaking event, with the most interesting Pokémon. Huh, you are getting a lot of your wishes this chapter.**

 **vietnamese guy: The first question is always the simplest. It only gets harder.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: I tend to alternate stories. This story is a fun little break from my main one. I wonder why Touma's strength isn't well-known. Maybe we will eventually find out. As for Aleister, he is off doing Aleister things.**

 **Soulx24: Well, Absol is supposed to be a Pokémon associated with misfortune and disaster, so…**

 **FrodoFighter: Saving someone's life does that. Arceus fears the golden Magikarp. Well, your description of Sylveon tells me a lot about you. Join us, or suffer. "Cotton-candy and some creamy French desserts." Describes Komoe's Pokémon perfectly. As for Touma's battle prowess in his class, you will have to wait and see.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or Pokémon. I wish I did so I could retire rich.**

* * *

Mikoto and Misaki could only stare as Komoe and Touma began to wake up the others. Once Komoe's Wigglytuff had stopped singing, everyone began to groggily get up on their own after about a minute. What really surprised the two girls was that a teacher used her Pokémon on her students. At Tokiwadai, all the girls were taught to be well behaved because they were not only students but representative of the prestigious school. Many of the girls came from wealthy and influential backgrounds too. There were still rivalries and groups formed, but Mikoto couldn't recall the last time a fight broke out between students. There had been one time not too long ago when a boy tried to sneak onto the grounds, but the teachers quickly caught him.

"Are all high school students like this?" Mikoto mumbled and rubbed her head. She was aware some of the guys were looking at her and Misaki. Eevee and Sylveon were standing behind Mikoto and Misaki watching too, but Touma had returned Charmeleon to its pokeball.

"Seems like they enjoy a lot more freedom than we do," Misaki pointed out. Mikoto nodded reluctantly in agreement. Tokiwadai had a strict curriculum and, even when they held classes outside, they were carefully monitored.

 _This school is completely different than mine,_ Mikoto thought, but felt a smile tug at her lips. _This is what I wanted. I needed a change of pace. Our curriculum isn't right for me._ Once all the students were awake, Komoe lined them up and motioned for Mikoto and Misaki to step forward.

"Now that you all have settled down," Komoe announced. "I would like to introduce two visitors. They are Mikoto Misaka and Misaki Shokuhou." Mikoto gave a brief wave. She wasn't a big fan of being in front of crowds and she was slightly nervous. Misaki merely waved and smiled at everyone. She looked a lot more comfortable than Mikoto. "These two young ladies are participating in the mentorship program under Kamijou-chan-…"

 _Chan?_ Mikoto thought. The suffix 'chan' was mostly used for girls and was less formal than the gender neutral one 'san.' Kun was normally used for boys.

"Of course they are," a guy in the back muttered, though loudly for everyone to hear. Several of the other guys snickered and a couple girls glared at him. Mikoto felt even more embarrassed all of a sudden.

"Curse you Kami-yan!" someone else called out from the back and several guys started yelling angrily too. Komoe's Wigglytuff stepped forward and they quickly got quiet again.

"… So they will be periodically visiting our class," Komoe continued. "I hope you can all make them feel welcome. Although," she wagged a finger to the main group of boys. "I expect all you wolves to be on your best behavior. The point of the mentorship program is for them to learn from older students, but I know a lot of you could probably learn a thing or two from them." She turned to Touma. "Would you like to say anything?"

"I'm good sensei," Touma muttered. Mikoto noticed he seemed as embarrassed as she felt.

"Oh, one other thing," Komoe added. "Misaka-chan here will be Kamijou-chan's partner for the upcoming two on two tournament. I'm so proud he found a partner."

"Kami-yan Disease strikes again!" a boy with blue hair shouted from the crowd. He must have been the one who spoke up earlier. He was standing next to Motoharu and they high fived. Most of the boys joined in yelling at Touma, but Mikoto was confused. She didn't know what they were talking about but, judging from Touma's reaction, it was some kind of insult at him.

"Don't say those kinds of stupid things in front of them!" Touma yelled. "I don't want everyone to think I'm some kind of deviant!"

"Any particular reason why you are so forceful today?" Motoharu asked, as he pushed his way to the front of the crowd and elbowed Touma in the side. Before Touma could reply, a girl stepped forward and proceeded to punch Motoharu in the side of his face.

"Enough," the girl said and then turned to Mikoto and Misaki, who both had a stunned expression on their faces. "Sorry about the boys, most of them are idiots. My name is Seiri Fukiyose." Seiri had a slender, yet solid, build and was rather tall. She had long black hair, but it was pulled back, which made her forehead look a little big. What Mikoto noticed most however was how well-endowed Seiri was. She even dwarfed Misaki. For some reason, Mikoto felt like she lost a battle. "Welcome to our school."

"It's nice to meet you Fukiyose-senpai," Misaki said and shook her hand.

"Likewise," Mikoto added. "Eh, I'm almost afraid to ask, but what is this Kami-yan disease? Are they making fun of his last name?"

"It's best you don't ask," Seiri sighed and face palmed. "The boys are just idiots. You two are from Tokiwadai right?" Mikoto and Misaki nodded. "Count yourself lucky to be part of an all-girls' school."

"She doesn't believe in it because she's the only one who's immune," the blue haired boy interjected. "That's why she's known as the Iron Wall Girl."

"Aogami, do you want to end up like Tsuchimikado?" Seiri asked angrily and narrowed her eyes. The boy only grinned and Seiri turned back to the girls. "So Misaka-san, how did you end up as Kamijou's partner and decide to study under him?"

"I kind of want to hear that story too," Misaki added and turned to Mikoto.

"Funny story…" Mikoto said and trailed off. She gulped as she thought of what to say. If she said she was skipping class, it might make her look like a delinquent, but that might actually earn points with Touma's class. They hardly seemed like normal students. The problem was Seiri seemed like someone who followed the rules, but became violent at rule breakers. Mikoto eventually settled on the truth, part of it at least. "I met him outside the city and we talked a bit. He seemed like a nice person and we parted ways after I caught a wild Pokémon. We ran into each other again in the city and I challenged him to a battle. He won and I thought I could learn somethings about being a Pokémon trainer from him." Mikoto shrug and tried to act nonchalantly, but both Seiri and Misaki looked slightly suspicious.

"What about you Shokuhou-san?" Seiri asked.

"We are friends from way back," Misaki said with a chuckle. "I signed up to see what he has been up to. I already knew he's a great trainer and I could learn a lot from him."

"Really?" Seiri asked rhetorically. "After all the times he skips class, blames things on bad luck, and seems to get injured way more than normal, it's hard to believe he's so influential. Maybe I had him all wrong. I'm glad he is working hard." She looked over her shoulder for a moment at Touma, who seemed to be pinned between several guys from his class. They were obviously arguing about something. "Are you both aiming to become Pokémon trainers?"

"I don't think battling people is right for me," Misaki admitted. "I'm thinking of either becoming a performer or possibly a breeder. I'm not a big fan of fights."

"I want to be a trainer," Mikoto confirmed. "It's why I agreed to be his partner. They don't normally let middle school students enter these tournaments."

"Only a couple students in our class entered," Seiri said. "And it was an odd number. Kamijou was only going to enter because he needed some extra credit, but then he couldn't get a partner. I would have, but I already promised someone else. Speaking of which," Seiri actually grinned. "We were practicing having Pokémon battles, so how about a warm up for the tournament. A two on two battle with you and Kamijou vs me and…" She trailed off and looked around.

"I'll do it!" the boy with blue hair volunteered and appeared out of nowhere. Mikoto remembered Seiri had called him Aogami.

"Fine," Seiri sighed. It was obvious she would have preferred someone else. "Himegami is busy, or I would choose her."

"Hey ladies," the boy turned to them. "The name is Pierce Aogami. I'm a good friend of Kami-yan."

"Nice to meet you," Mikoto said politely. She couldn't shake the feeling there was something off about this guy, but she couldn't place it.

"Likewise," Misaki added.

"A practice two on two match sounds fun," Mikoto said excitedly to Seiri.

"I'll get us a field," Seiri said. "Komoe-sensei seems to have gotten everything under control. Seriously," Seiri muttered. "Our class descends into chaos over the smallest things. Kami-yan Disease… so stupid."

"Excuse me," Mikoto asked again. She couldn't resist. "What exactly is Kami-yan Disease?"

"I'm glad you asked," Pierce volunteered excitedly. "You see, Kami-yan here has the unnatural ability to attract… ahhh! Not so hard Fukiyose-sama!" Seiri had reached over and grabbed him by the ear.

"You are not going to corrupt them with your delusions and perversions," Seiri told him aggressively. "Come on." She dragged him away without listening to his complaints.

"She seems pretty level headed," Misaki commented. "I hope she doesn't become a rival too. It would be difficult to oppose her."

"Rival for what?" Mikoto asked.

"You are too innocent," Misaki replied with a smug smile on her lips. Before Mikoto could respond, a couple high school girls strolled up to Misaki.

"You're Sylveon is so cute," one of them said, while the other crouched down next to it. "Is she friendly?"

"Of course," Misaki replied and beamed. "She is kind to everyone." The girls squealed slightly when Sylveon wrapped their arms up with its ribbons. Misaki turned to Mikoto and winked.

 _She thinks she is so smug,_ Mikoto fumed silently. _I don't know what she is thinking most of the time, but she always tries to push my buttons._ "Let's go Eevee. We need to tell him about Fukiyose-san's challenge." Eevee nodded and trotted along next to her. Mikoto approached Touma, who was still being berated by his friends. Mikoto caught a few words, but they didn't make any sense. Words like "disease,' 'types,' and 'harem' didn't seem to make much sense without context. Though, she felt like she didn't want to know the context. "Hey!" she called out and the guys around Touma quickly moved away. Mikoto caught them staring and smirking at her, but she tried to ignore them. Her face flushed slightly and she couldn't do anything about it. _I hate when people stare at me._

"What's up Misaka?" Touma asked and he turned his back to the rest of the guys.

"Your classmate Fukiyose-san suggested you and I have a two on two battle with her and Aogami-san. It would be good practice for the tournament."

"I guess that wouldn't hurt," Touma admitted. "I'm surprised she paired up with Aogami though. He riles her up constantly."

"We help with that too," Motoharu laughed and he appeared out of nowhere. "We aren't known as the Delta Force for nothing."

"Ninety percent of the problems are caused by you two," Touma told him bitterly. "Then you drag me into them."

"You enjoy our debates," Motoharu laughed. "Hey Misaka-san. I see you took my advice. Hope everything is working out."

"Thank you for your help," Mikoto said earnestly. If it hadn't been for him telling her about the mentorship program and bringing up the tournament, she wouldn't be here. _He seems like a nice guy, but I kind of feel he is doing this for other reasons._ She turned to Touma. "We should get going and not keep them waiting."

"Yeah," Touma agreed. "She would get upset. Let's go." He and Mikoto started walking off in the direction of Seiri and Pierce, and then a couple guys started talking very loudly.

"Good luck you two!"

"Why does he always get the girl?"

"How do you think they met?"

"He probably saved her and she fell for him." The last comment caused Mikoto's face to burn and she was about to turn around and deny it strongly, when Touma put a hand on her shoulder and whispered to her.

"Don't rise to their taunts. It just gets worst. Ignoring them is the best option."

"Right," Mikoto agreed. _Did he not want me to deny what they said? Maybe he actually has… no that can't be in. We are friends, but he's also my rival._ Mikoto decided to quickly change the topic. "So are you going to use Rampardos for the match?"

"Keep your voice down!" Touma panicked.

"Huh?" Mikoto was confused.

"Most of the class doesn't know about him," Touma whispered. "Tsuchimikado is an exception and he keeps it a secret for me or I would attract way too much attention. Riolu isn't good in front of crowds so I can't use him. I'm planning to use Charmeleon, if he decides to actually listen."

"I plan to use Pikachu for the tournament," Mikoto told him. _He really doesn't like standing out. I think Shokuhou-san and I made that difficult for him. I feel kind of bad._ "But I used her and Magnemite in some practice matches at school yesterday, so I plan to use Eevee in today's match."

"Eevee," Eevee said happily. They made their way to the field Seiri and Pierce were waiting at and found them arguing. Once Mikoto and Touma arrived, they stopped and nodded their heads in acknowledgement. Mikoto followed Touma to the other side of the field and waited in the starting position until someone appeared to judge. To Mikoto's surprise, Komoe was the one who showed up, with Misaki and Motoharu next to her. Several other people gathered around, most likely because they were interested to see who Touma was mentoring. Mikoto began to think Touma might be kind of popular in his class.

"Because we have special guests today," Komoe said happily to Mikoto's team and Seiri's team. "I'm going to act as judge. Also, I thought because this was Misaka-chan's and Kamijou-chan's first group battle, we should record it for them to be able to review. It should help them improve their teamwork and also help with the mentorship program. Does anyone object?" Seiri and Pierce shook their heads, but Touma turned to Mikoto.

"I don't care either way," Touma told her. "But it might be a good idea if we want to improve our group strategy."

"I kind of understand how Riolu feels," Mikoto mumbled. "I don't like crowds and people keep showing up to stare at us." She shook her head and slapped her cheeks with both hands. _You can't be a world class trainer if you get stage fright._ "But you're right. Go ahead and record it!" Mikoto called out to Komoe. Komoe smiled back and nodded to Motoharu.

"It will be better to get an air view," Motoharu said and grabbed one of his pokeballs. A small, cicada-like Pokémon with two pairs of wings appeared in a flash of red light. Most of its head was yellow, but there was a solid band of black between its gleaming red eyes. The band expanded into a circular pattern on its forehead, between two pointed crests on the sides of its head. The underside of its head was gray and segmented, making it somewhat resemble a veil. On its back was a patch of black with a stretch of yellow, shaped like an upside down letter Y. Most of its carapace and abdomen were black, but there was a ring of yellow near the tip. Its gray insectoid arms extended from its chest. There was a similar pair of back legs. It had large, veined wings with triangular, red tipping. "Here Ninjask, take this camera and keep it facing the battle." Ninjask buzzed, accepted the camera, and flew up above everyone.

 _What's that?_ Mikoto thought and pulled out her Pokedex.

"Ninjask, the Ninja Pokémon, and the evolved form of Nincada. Because of its swift flying velocity, it can become impossible to see."

"Let's start then," Seiri called out and she grabbed one of her pokeballs. "Come on out!" A humanoid, bipedal Pokémon that resembled a person meditating appeared. It was sitting in a yoga position, knees were bent and feet together with its hands resting on its knees. Its lower body was blue, with white on the wrists, feet, and lower body. Its onion-shaped head was also white with large eyes and pink ovals on its cheeks. It had round, swirled ears on the sides of its head.

"Meditite, the Meditate Pokémon," Mikoto's Pokedex said. "Meditite uses meditation to increase its power, never skipping a single day of yoga training."

"And here is mine!" Pierce shouted and tossed his pokeball. Another humanoid Pokémon appeared, but this one was black with slim arms and legs. There were two round black buns on each side of its head, with a smaller drop-shaped piece hanging from each. Adorning its hair were four white bows, two on each bun. It had a pale purple face with cyan eyes and red lips. It also had two white bows on its body, which flared at the bottom to form a skirt shape. "It's time to show off your style!"

"Gothorita," Mikoto's Pokedex reported. "The Manipulate Pokémon and the evolved form of Gothita. Gothorita uses starlight as its power source. It arranges rocks in the same way as the stars, and can use its Psychic powers to control people and Pokémon."

"They look tough," Mikoto said and turned to Eevee. "But we are too. You ready?" Eevee nodded with a determined look on its face and then bounded into the arena.

"You too Charmeleon," Touma said and tossed a pokeball. Charmeleon appeared and yawned, before looking around. It first noticed Eevee, who looked at him excitedly, and then turned to look at Touma. Charmeleon gave him the stink eye. "Charmeleon, it's a two on two with Misaka. Let's give it our all…please?" Charmeleon sighed and turned toward their opponents. "Phew, it looks like he is willing to battle."

"Charmeleon loves to show off in front of girls!" someone from the sidelines called out and many people laughed.

"Shut up!" Touma yelled back at them.

"Good luck!" Misaki called out from the sidelines and waved. Mikoto noticed a lot of guys were looking at her.

 _Guys are all perverts,_ Mikoto thought bitterly. _They only care about one thing._ Misaki was acting like she was wishing their team luck, but Mikoto knew better. Misaki was only wishing Touma luck. _I'll show her. I'll do so much, everyone will acknowledge my skills._

"Everyone looks ready!" Komoe called out and raised her hand. "Good luck and have fun!"

"Meditite," Seiri shouted. "Start with Meditate!" Meditite closed its eyes and started to glow with a soft white light.

"Future Sight Gothorita!" Pierce yelled. Gothorita spread out its arms wide and its eyes began to glow blue. Nothing else happened and the glow disappeared.

 _Okay,_ Mikoto thought quickly. _Meditate increases a Pokémon's attack power, so her Meditite must rely on physical attacks. Future Sight is going to be a problem. The attack can come from anywhere and I don't know when or where. The good thing is their Pokémon are both psychic types, so Eevee's Shadow Ball is going to be super effective. I should use that later as a surprise or they might fight around it. Meditite is also a fighting-type, so Eevee is at a disadvantage from those moves._ She glanced over at Touma who nodded at her encouragingly. "Let's not worry about what ifs," Mikoto said to Eevee. "And start out strong. Use Swift on Meditite!"

"Flamethrower on Gothorita!" Touma shouted. Charmeleon opened its mouth and a jet of flames flew out toward Gothorita. Simultaneously, Eevee spun around in place and a flurry of whitish yellow stars flew at Meditite. Meditite opened its eyes and stood up, before thrusting out a fist and breaking the first star heading straight at it. It then kicked and chopped the remaining stars. Gothorita jumped to its left to avoid Charmeleon's fire.

"High Jump Kick!" Seiri yelled and pointed at Charmeleon. Meditite crouched for a moment and then jumped high into the air. It started flying down at Charmeleon, who had just stopped unleashing its Flamethrower. Meditite's knee was bent and it was about to land a direct hit.

"Eevee!" Mikoto called out. "Blind it with Sand Attack." _That high jump kick is going to do a lot of damage since Meditite's attack is powered up my Meditate._ Eevee jumped over and kicked at the ground, unleashing a burst of sand directly at Meditite. Meditite was forced to close its eyes for a second, which allowed Charmeleon to dodge. Meditite landed on the ground, knee first, with a thud and grimaced. _Hah, when you miss with High Jump Kick, you take a fair bit of damage. Powerful attacks do tend to have drawbacks._ Mikoto made a big mistake and didn't notice it until it was too late.

"Tickle, Gothorita!"

Pierce's words snapped Mikoto's attention back to the fight. Gothorita had snuck up behind Eevee while Mikoto had been focused on Meditite. Gothorita then reached over and started furiously tickling Eevee. "Eevee vee eev!" Eevee gasped as it fell down and couldn't find the strength to get up.

 _Oh no,_ Mikoto thought. _Tickle reduces Eevee's attack and defense._ "Get up and use Quick Attack!" Eevee managed to roll out of Gothorita's grasp and spring to its feet. Eevee made a determined face and charged forward. White light enveloped it as it charged forward at full speed and collided with Gothorita. Gothorita was forced backwards and Eevee landed with a soft thud, before it jumped backwards to put some distance between them. Mikoto then noticed the air above Charmeleon begin to shimmer. "Watch out!" she yelled at Touma. "Future Sight is coming!"

"Above you Char-…!" Touma tried to warn, but it was too late. A rainbow orb came out of the distorted air a couple feet above Charmeleon and exploded when it made contact with it. Charmeleon disappeared in a flash of light and dust.

"Force Palm!" Seiri yelled.

"Double Slap!" Pierce yelled. A ball of white energy began to form in Meditite's palm as it closed in, while Gothorita moved its hands back as it ran toward Eevee. With Charmeleon temporarily occupied by the explosive Future Sight, they could both strike Eevee simultaneously. Eevee slunk back in fear as the two powerful Pokémon were about to strike it.

"EEVEE!" Mikoto yelled out desperately. "You need to move!" Eevee didn't budge. _She's not use to be double teamed and must be petrified. We aren't prepared for these kinds of situations._ A voice rang out that instantly filled her with hope during this desperate situation.

"Protect Eevee!" Touma yelled. "To your left!" Charmeleon dashed out of the dust cloud and ran toward Eevee at full speed. "Dragon Claw!" The claws on Charmeleon's hands turned bright green and grew in size. It managed to position itself between Eevee and their opponents. One of Charmeleon's claws collided with Meditite's Force Palm, while the other claw smacked into Gothorita. An explosion engulfed Meditite as Dragon Claw overwhelmed Force Palm and Meditite was blown back. Charmeleon's other claw blasted Gothorita back with raw force. Both of them landed several feet away. "We need time to regroup. Smokescreen!" Charmeleon spun around and swiped its tail in an arc. A cloud of thick black smoke rose from the flame and began to obscure everything around them.

"That was close," Mikoto sighed. "Thanks for saving Eevee."

"Charmeleon was the one who did all the work," Touma told her and pointed. Charmeleon jumped out of the smoke and landed closer to them, while it carried Eevee in its arms.

"Eevee?" Eevee said softly and gazed up at Charmeleon with big round eyes.

"Char," Charmeleon replied and smirked. It lowered Eevee gently to the ground and looked it over. "Charmeleon?" Eevee nodded, still in awe of Charmeleon's power. Charmeleon looked back at Touma and gave him a nod. Mikoto saw Touma grin and nod back.

"What was that?" Mikoto asked. _It's just like with Rampardos. They can communicate without words._

"Pimpmeleon is just imitating his trainer!" someone called out and Mikoto had to think she heard incorrectly.

"Charmeleon's ready to go all out," Touma replied, unable to look Mikoto in the eye, but Mikoto grinned.

"We can't let you show us up then," Mikoto said. "Right Eevee!?"

"Eevee!"

"Meditite!" they suddenly heard Seiri yell out. "Mind Reader!"

"Smokescreen won't work!" Mikoto called over to Touma. "Mind Reader will make its next attack hit for sure!"

"Then we can't-…" Touma started to answer, but they were interrupted by Gothorita exiting the Smokescreen.

"Psybeam!" Pierce yelled through the smoke. A rainbow colored orb appeared in front of Gothorita and then turned into a rainbow beam. The beam flew straight at Charmeleon, hit it, and knocked it backwards.

"Charmeleon!" Charmeleon cried in pain.

"Eevee!" Eevee cried angrily and started running at Gothorita.

"Use Shadow Ball!" Mikoto cried. Eevee jumped into the air and a black orb appeared in front of it. The orb shot forward and made direct contact with Gothorita. Gothorita cried out in pain and flew backwards, while the explosion from the Shadow Ball cleared the Smokescreen. Meditite looked over at Gothorita in alarm, before Seiri called out to it.

"High Jump Kick!" Meditite leaped high and aimed at Eevee, who had not landed yet. Being trapped in midair, there was no way for Eevee to dodge. High Jump Kick was a fighting move which would be super effective against a normal type like Eevee.

"Eevee!" Mikoto cried out in alarm.

"Aerial Ace!"

"Huh?! Mikoto was confused at Touma's words. _Aerial Ace is a flying type move, so how-…?_ Her question was answered when she saw Charmeleon. It was running toward Eevee and Meditite with its arms out to its side. Several white streaks were surrounding its body and then Charmeleon leaped into the air. The force of its jump allowed it to intercept Meditite. Since Meditite was part fighting type, it was weak against flying. The force of Charmeleon's attack sent it flying backwards instead of hitting Eevee. Meditite crashed into the ground next to Gothorita, who was beginning to stand up, while Charmeleon and Eevee landed safely on the ground.

"Let's finish this," Touma suggested to Mikoto.

"Agreed," Mikoto answered and felt a smile form on her face. _We are going to win!_ She shared a look with Touma and they both grinned, before they shouted out their next orders.

"Flamethrower!"

"Shadow Ball!"

Charmeleon unleashed a torrent of flames from its mouth while Eevee fired a powerful ball of dark energy. Meditite and Gothorita were both psychic-types, so the ghost type move Shadow Ball was super effective. Charmeleon's Flamethrower was no slouch either and the combination of their attacks created a huge explosion. Meditite and Gothorita were sent flying backwards and fell to the ground. Neither of them were able to move.

"Meditite and Gothorita are unable to battle!" Komoe declared. "Charmeleon and Eevee are the winners!" The people who were watching burst into cheers and applause. Misaki and Sylveon were excited and rushed out to meet Touma and Mikoto.

"You did amazing," Misaki told Touma. "Charmeleon was incredible."

"Thanks," Touma said and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I helped too," Mikoto pointed out irritated.

"Yes, yes," Mikoto gave her a small wave. "You did well too Misaka-san."

"Sylveon," Sylveon said and started to rub up against Charmeleon happily. "Syl Sylveon."

"Charmeleon," Charmeleon replied with a slight yawn and then looked to its right. Eevee had started to rub up against its leg.

"Eevee vee," Eevee said determinedly and glanced up at Sylveon. The two shared a look and sparks shot out of their eyes. Their trainers did not notice, but Charmeleon did and sighed in exasperation.

"That was impressive," Seiri said when she approached Mikoto. "I didn't expect Eevee to know Shadow Ball."

"I usually try to teach my Pokémon moves outside their types," Mikoto admitted.

"That's a good strategy," Seiri admitted. "You are defiantly talented."

"I have to work really hard though," Mikoto interjected. She hated when people tried to say she only could do something because of talent. She worked hard to teach her Pokémon new skills and to battle against type disadvantage.

"Being able to work hard can be considered a talent," Seiri laughed.

"Well," Mikoto admitted sheepishly. "He did save Eevee from your combined attack..." She gestured her head in Touma's direction. Pierce seemed to have put him in a head lock.

"You don't fight this well normally. Was it to impress the girls?"

"S-shut up!"

"…which really surprised me," Mikoto continued. "I'm not use to group battles, so this day has been full of surprises. I'm really glad to have come here." _Fukiyose-san and Aogami-san managed to do some impressive combination tactics after just forming their team. High school students really have a lot more experience than I do._

"If you ever need anyone to talk to," Seiri said and shook Mikoto's hand. "Feel free to find me."

"Thank you senpai," Mikoto replied politely.

"I'm so glad you two are fitting in," Komoe added cheerfully. "I hope the next time you visit will be just as exciting. There's still a little bit of time left before class is over. I recommend you take the opportunity to meet the rest of the class and talk to them. I'm sure it will be enlightening for everyone."

"Okay," Mikoto and Misaki replied.

"Kamijou-chan," Komoe said and turned to Touma. "I'll leave them in your capable hands."

"Yes sensei."

* * *

"Where are you dragging me off to?" Mikoto asked with a mixture of curiosity and irritation.

She and Misaki were sitting on a bus and were heading somewhere. Mikoto didn't know where, because Misaki would not tell her. After being introduced to the rest of Touma's class and seeing many different Pokémon, the bell signaling the end of the day rang. Mikoto bid farewell and left, not because she didn't wish to stay, but because she had to get back soon or Kuroko would start to worry. A worried Kuroko always meant trouble for Mikoto, so she wasn't interested in deliberately causing it. Before Mikoto left the school, Misaki had intercepted her and asked Mikoto if she would accompany her somewhere. Mikoto said no at first, but Misaki was very persuasive and Mikoto found herself going with her classmate and rival.

"I suppose you can say we are going shopping," Misaki finally answered with a grin.

"What?!" spluttered Mikoto. "You were all cryptic, just for that? I don't want to go to the types of stores you go to." Misaki liked to wear expensive designer clothes, while Mikoto preferred clothes based on performance, rather than appearance.

"It's not for clothes," Misaki laughed. "Though, I think you could really use them. I mean, shorts under a skit? How unfashionable." Mikoto felt a vein in her head throb, but Misaki continued before Mikoto could vent her frustration. "No, this is something I need, but I think you could appreciate it too."

"Huh?" Mikoto was confused. _She needs something, but I would understand it? I have no idea what that could be. I'm not even sure why she is being friendly with me. She keeps thinking I'm trying to take that idiot away from her. I'm only friends and rivals with him, nothing more._ She felt slightly hot, but ignored it and looked out the window.

"Here's our stop," Misaki eventually informed her, as the bus slowed down. Mikoto sighed and followed her. The area they stopped at was downtown in a busy part of the city. "Let's see," Misaki muttered and looked at a map at the bus station. "It should be this way." She turned and Mikoto had to hurry to catch up to her.

"Why are you in such a rush?" Mikoto asked. Misaki had never been athletic and Mikoto could see her beginning to tire out already moving at this brisk pace.

"A friend of mine told me this store just received something I was looking for," Misaki replied slightly out of breath. "I want to make sure I can get it before someone else does." She suddenly stopped and looked to her right. "Found it," she said cheerfully and pushed open the door to the building. Mikoto looked up and her eyes widened.

It was a Pokestop.

That was the name of the popular store that had spread all throughout the world. It was a shop full of all sorts of gear trainers, performers, breeders and more could and should use. People could stock up on Pokémon food, pokeballs, potions, berries, clothing accessories, and even Pokémon. It was a combination of a general store, adoption center, and sporting good's store. Mikoto begun to have a slight inclination of what Misaki was after, but she couldn't be sure. Instead, she followed in silence, but kept looking around at all the fancy equipment. She eyed a new backpack for a moment, but she had to keep moving or she would lose Misaki. The store was rather big. Mikoto followed Misaki to the back area and waited while Misaki talked to someone at the counter.

"I heard you recently acquired a Vulpix," Misaki said to the employee, a man most likely in his thirties. "Do you still have it?"

"Let me check," the employee told her. "I just started my shift." He went through a door into the back area and Mikoto approached Misaki.

"Seriously?" she asked. "You drag me all this way to get a Pokémon? You could have just told me or gone with one of your friends."

"I thought you were my friend," Misaki pointed out and pretended to pout.

"You know what I mean. Why not catch a wild one?"

"I'm not a big fan of going out into the wild, getting dirty, and having uncivilized battles," Misaki told her. "There are other ways to get Pokémon. Besides, I haven't heard of a Vulpix being sighted anywhere around here."

"Why do you want one so-…?" Mikoto started to ask, but was interrupted as the employee came back.

"We do," he told Misaki. "But you might want to take a look at her before you decide. She's a little different than an ordinary Vulpix."

"Huh?" Misaki and Mikoto were both curious at what he meant. The man let them through the back door and they walked between a row of pens with several loud and excitable Pokémon. They turned a corner and the man stepped aside to allow them a view of the pen with the Vulpix. "Oh!" Misaki gasped. "How pretty!"

"Yeah," Mikoto agreed softly. Vulpix was a small, quadruped, fox-like Pokémon with six tails. Normally, they had a red-brown pelt and reddish-orange tails. Vulpix also normally had curled locks of orange fur with bangs on top of its head. _It's breathtaking._ This Vulpix's fur was a pure snowy white. Its paws were pale blue and its eyes were a slightly darker blue, along with the inside of its ears. The locks of hair on its head and its six tails were extremely curly with a wispy appearance.

"The Vulpix you two are probably familiar with is a fire-type," the man explained. "This one is from the Alola region and it is actually an ice-type. I wanted to make sure you were not looking for the fire-type version."

"Hello," Misaki said and crouched next to the pen. The white Vulpix tilted its head slightly when it saw her, before walking slowly over to Misaki. Misaki slowly reached a hand through the bars and Vulpix allowed her to gently rub its head. "Your fur is so soft and smooth," Misaki whispered. "Would you like to come with me?"

"Vul," Vulpix said and looked at her passionately.

"I'll take her," Misaki declared and stood up.

"Since this Vulpix is rare around here," the man said. "It is rather expensive."

"How expensive?" Mikoto asked and raised an eyebrow.

"50,000 yen." Mikoto was about to express her disbelief at such an exorbitant price, but Misaki beat her to it.

"I said I'll take it," Misaki declared again, but this time more firmly. She whipped out a platinum card from her purse and thrust it into the employee's hand. The man's eyes went wide and he quickly rushed off, but handled the card reverently.

 _That's right,_ Mikoto remembered. _Shokuhou-san is from some rich business family. That kind of money must be peanuts to her._ Mikoto's family was well off, but she wouldn't drop that kind of money without reason. The employee returned in a surprisingly short time with Vulpix's pokeball. Once Misaki signed the receipt, she and Mikoto left. Misaki appeared to be really excited and looked at the pokeball in her hand. "You know," Mikoto said. "This feels kind of wrong."

"What do you mean?" Misaki asked and turned toward her.

"What's the challenge in just buying your Pokémon?" Mikoto asked back. "You are supposed to go out, explore the world, go on adventures, and grow as a person while catching them. This seems like cheating."

"Oh Misaka-san," Misaki replied and held a hand up to her mouth to stifle a laugh. "There are many professions that work with Pokémon. Do you think a Pokémon doctor would do that? No, they go to school and study hard. Then they practice on simulations before moving to the real thing. I don't inspire to be a trainer like you. I think I want to try being a performer. This doesn't require me to wonder the world looking for adventure. Instead, I work hard with my Pokémon to create masterpieces of art to dazzle and amaze audiences. There is no one specific right way to do these things."

"Huh," Mikoto admitted. "I never looked at it that way."

"Spending time with me is sure to open your eyes," Misaki added. "We can be good friends because I feel I can totally be myself around you and you won't judge me." Mikoto raised an eyebrow. "As long as you don't go after the same guy as me of course."

"W-what?!" spluttered Mikoto. "I'm not after any guy."

"That's good," Misaki said and looked down at the pokeball in her hand that held her new Pokémon. "It's not like you would have a chance against me if you were."

"What's that supposed to me?!" Mikoto asked angrily.

"I wonder," Misaki said thoughtfully and delicately put a hand on her chest. Mikoto's face turned scarlet and she was about to say how useless they were, but a salesman interrupted them.

"Excuse me ladies!" he called out to them. "You two look like aspiring trainers. How would you like to test your luck?" Curious, Mikoto turned and walked over to him and Misaki followed. The man stepped aside and revealed rows and rows of Pokémon eggs.

"What's this?" Mikoto asked and looked the eggs over. They were all different colors and designs. It was obvious to her they were from different Pokémon.

"For a mere 5000 yen," the man explained. "You get to choose any egg you see here."

"What kinds of Pokémon are in them?" Misaki asked.

"That is the surprise," the man laughed and held up a finger. "You don't know. It's random. You might hatch a very common Pokémon, or maybe one to make all your friends jealous. We have had many people call us back with all sorts of stories. If you are lucky, you might find one you have never seen before."

"I don't know," Mikoto said hesitantly. "I kind of have a preference and I don't know if I can raise a random-…"

"No!" Misaki interrupted. "This is perfect." She grabbed Mikoto's arm.

"Hey!" Mikoto snapped, as she was dragged a few meters away. "What's the big idea?!"

"Let's have a friendly competition," Misaki explained. "You and I each buy one and raise whatever hatches out of it."

"Why?" Mikoto asked, but she couldn't keep the curiosity out of her voice.

"Since you believe my way of acquiring and raising Pokémon is wrong," Misaki continued. "This would be a perfect opportunity to compare our styles. We both start at exactly the same point and we raise a Pokémon that has been with us since it hatched. That way, there won't be any kind of unfortunate pasts that could jeopardize the results."

"I still don't see why I should accept this," Mikoto pointed out.

"You might be able to get a legendary Pokémon," Misaki said with a smile. "Maybe a Zapdos or a Raikou."

"I seriously doubt an egg for 5000 yen would have a legendary," Mikoto scoffed.

"Are you perhaps afraid my skills at raising Pokémon are better than yours?" Misaki asked with a haughty attitude.

"My skills are vastly superior to yours," Mikoto snapped. "I could raise anything, even if it isn't an electric-type."

"How about we make the challenge a little more interesting then," Misaki asked.

"Sure," Mikoto replied and smirked. "Loser has to do what the winner says for a day?"

"Deal," Misaki agreed and they shook hands.

 _I'm so going to win,_ Mikoto thought. _I've been raising three Pokémon and she only has one. Plus, she's going to have to train her Vulpix too. I have a huge advantage._ Mikoto started browsing the Pokémon eggs for one that would catch her attention. _I wonder what I should make her do when I win. Maybe drop the mentorship program… no, that would be too mean. She may be annoying, but she is kind of my friend. Huh, I actually think we spent more time together today than we have for a long time. Maybe she dragged me here to spend time together._ Mikoto glanced at Misaki, who had just selected a rainbow colored egg. _Can't be. I have to be overthinking things._ Mikoto eventually settled on a yellow egg with blue circles on it. The man set both of the eggs in incubators, which was a clear cylinder with a cushioned bottom and a lid, while the girls paid. Mikoto and Misaki then left the store and took the bus back to their dorm. They entered and looked at each other.

"Bye Misaka-san," Misaki said cheerfully and walked in the opposite direction of Mikoto's room. She struggled slightly in carrying her egg, but seemed happy. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure," Mikoto replied and turned to head toward her room. _She was rather friendly today. That's unusual._ She looked down at the egg in the incubator she was holding with both hands and sighed. _I shouldn't have bought this. I doubt it will be an electric-type and I wouldn't feel right trading it off. I would have to keep it at the lab and that wouldn't be fair to whatever hatches. I was too prideful._ Mikoto opened the door to her room and had to quickly step aside to avoid Kuroko jumping at her.

Mikoto had to protect the egg.

It definitely wasn't to avoid Kuroko's hug assault.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **No idea what the eggs are going to hatch into yet. Have a couple ideas, but nothing is settled. Surprises for everyone!**


	6. First Adventure pt1

**I don't really have a lot to say except one small sad piece of news. I'm going to be focusing on my main story for a while so the next chapter of this one might be a bit. I'll be working on it when I need a break. I'm still not sure how far this story is going to go, but I want to do like three things and once Mikoto goes on her adventure, there will always be something to discover. Anyways, let's move to comments.**

 **Brosephg: I was going to have Aisa go with Seiri, but I decided to wait on introducing her. I figured Pierce would want to show off in front of a new girl. Mikoto and Misaki's relationship will be slightly different. They don't have the tension, but they do have different personalities and preferences that will clash on more than one occasion. It's going to be even more fun when their Pokémon hatch.**

 **G119: The egg colors weren't that important, nor did I do any research on what Pokémon eggs have been shown in the anime or comics. The eggs were more for me to give them Pokémon they wouldn't expect to see normally. I definitely want Mikoto to get a Chinchou eventually.**

 **WiliamZ0: That's good, because I didn't buy you anything haha. Don't worry about the egg colors. They were made up on the fly with no research. Misaki is not getting a Grimer. I can guarantee that, though it would be funny to see her stuck with it. She wouldn't want to concede to Mikoto.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: I decided Charmeleon should represent the super strength Touma displays when protecting someone. Normally, Charmeleon would have been knocked backwards. Mikoto's Pokémon are female yes, except Magnemite. They don't have a gender. Mimikyu is not Touma's fourth Pokémon. It is going to be one no one expects, but everyone will realize how good of a fit it is.**

 **Dragonskyt: Her reasoning was flawless.**

 **vietnamese guy: That was one Pokémon I was debating giving him.**

 **Agent Nine: I'll have to work on getting Riolu sometime in the spotlight so he can evolve.**

 **FrodoFighter: I know, it's such a simple Pokémon but so OP in the anime. All of Aogami's Pokémon will have certain aspects that resemble waifus. Pssh, percentages mean nothing in real life. That's only in the game. Mikoto is very smart to observe Tsuchimikado's real motives. Charmeleon has a unique ability other ones don't have it. It's why it's not allowed into the Pokémon center. I have a lot of options for the eggs, but Grimer is definitely out. Alolan Vulpix tails also kind of remind me of Misaki's spider web stuff, so it's a good fit for her.**

 **GatsuBerk: Not sure Touma is cool enough to have a Tyranitar. That's one you see the top trainers have.**

 **UCCMaster: Opinions have been noted.**

 **BuzZbUzsBBBz: One of the best things about Mikoto is she acts differently around people, so if you follow her, you have to write her in different ways. Plus, there is also her inner thoughts which are usually opposite of her reactions. Oh, I will GARENTEE Touma's fourth Pokémon will annoy Mikoto greatly.**

 **Acpeters: Crossovers are usually interesting. People don't think two different fandoms can merge together so easily.**

 **Q-Guest: There are a lot of discrepancies with the anime. My peeve is why Pikachu seems to deliver every time they enter a new region.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or Pokémon. I wish I did so I could retire rich.**

* * *

"How long until we arrive?" Mikoto asked Ruiko.

"Less than an hour," Ruiko answered after checking her watch. "I can't wait to get there." She involuntary yawned and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I was so excited I couldn't sleep last night and then we had to wake up early."

"I had to virtually drag her out of bed so we could leave on time," Kazari sighed next to her. "I even reminded her this was her idea, but she was almost impossible to wake up."

"I don't like to get up early," Ruiko said defensively. "I'm an afternoon person."

"This isn't something we normally get to do," Kuroko added. "So thank you again for inviting us."

"It was my pleasure," Ruiko replied beaming. "Trips are always more fun with friends." Ruiko had won four tickets for a tour inside one of discovered ruins only an hour and half drive away from Academy City. These ruins weren't exactly common, but they were much more numerous in the Nelos region than many others. Archeologists were keen on learning from them, especially on information relating to the surge of Pokémon from all the other regions. Many ruins were dangerous, but some were in good enough conditions to allow civilians to enter. This was one of them. Ruiko loves rumors and mysteries, so she would enter any drawings for a chance to visit one of these ruins. When she finally won, she immediately invited Mikoto and Kuroko to join her and Kazari. "I'm glad you both were free." All four of them were riding in the back of a bus, which was about half full of other people going to the same place.

"I only need to practice for the tournament coming up," Mikoto said. "But we are going to start on Sunday."

"I'm going to supervise," Kuroko added quickly. "To make sure the ape doesn't try anything."

"He's not going to try anything," Mikoto sighed. _Seriously, why does she hate him so much? He's not that bad of a person, just kind of… unusual._

"Shirai-san," Kazari said, mirroring Mikoto's thoughts. "From what we saw, he doesn't seem like the type to try anything. You are overreacting. Besides, Misaka-san is quite capable of taking care of herself."

"Thank you," Mikoto said.

"And his Rampardos seems really cool too," Ruiko added.

"Arg," Kuroko moaned. "You're all ganging up on me." She glanced out of the window at the passing trees and then turned back to Mikoto. "Oh, I planned to meet you after school yesterday and one of your classmates said you left really early, but you told me last night you picked up the egg with Shokuhou-san after school. Were you doing something for the school before that?"

"Egg?" Kazari asked.

"Shokuhou-san and I are having a friendly competition," Mikoto explained to her and Ruiko. "We were out and we saw a special on Pokémon eggs. We decided to see who can raise whatever hatches out. It's going to be a surprise for both of us. As for why I left school early Kuroko," Mikoto sighed. _She's going to find out eventually. I rather not have her follow me and get in trouble._ "I am participating in the mentorship program and, as part of it, I met my mentor at their school."

"Oh!" Kazari gasped. "You finally found someone? They must be good if you want to learn from them."

"Nice," Ruiko congratulated with a grin and gave Mikoto a thumb up. "I expect you to be even more impressive now."

"Don't say that," Mikoto told her as she turned red. "You make it sound like I'm some kind of celebrity."

"That's great onee-sama," Kuroko added. "You kept saying you weren't happy with the choices the school offered, so I'm glad you found a mentor to meet your expectations." Her face turned slightly depressed. "That means I'm going to be seeing less of you though."

"We are still roommates," Mikoto reminded her. "I'll tell you all about it." _I wonder how long I can keep his identity a secret._

"At least you won't be leaving," Kuroko cheered and hugged Mikoto tightly. "Who is your mentor anyways?" Kuroko looked up and her face paled, when Mikoto avoided her eyes and pressed her lips together in embarrassment. "It can't be," Kuroko muttered slowly. "If you can't answer… it has to be… THAT APE!?" She shouted out the last two words and several people turned around in their seats.

"Keep your voice down," Kazari whispered urgently to Kuroko. "You are disturbing the other passengers." Kuroko clamped her mouth shut, but looked furious.

"Is it true?" Ruiko whispered excitedly to Mikoto. Mikoto didn't have much choice but to nod. "Come on, give us the details. What happened when you met him?" Mikoto noticed Kazari and Kuroko leaning closer to listen. She sighed.

"Okay," Mikoto related and Ruiko and Kazari squealed. "It's not like that though. You saw how tough of a trainer he is, so I figured I could learn from him."

"Uh huh," Ruiko murmured with a twinkle in her eye. "So what all did you do at his school?"

"I met his teacher," Mikoto recollected. "She was rather unusual, because she looks really young. Then I met his class. Most of them were pretty… excitable? I guess would be a good description. As soon as their teacher left, the class started having a free for all match in the training fields."

"Bunch of barbarians," Kuroko muttered angrily. She was obviously jealous Mikoto was mentoring under Touma.

"What happened next?" Kazari asked.

"She gained control and I was introduced to a girl called Seiri Fukiyose," Mikoto continued. "I think she might have been the class rep, but she seemed pretty normal, though a little strict. She was reprimanding a lot of the boys."

"Sounds like my kind of person," Kuroko commented with a short nod.

"When their teacher mentioned he and I were going to enter the upcoming tournament," Mikoto added. "Fukiyose-san challenged us to a two on two battle. We had a match and then I met the rest of his class. Oh, Shokuhou-san also entered the mentorship program and is shadowing him too." Kazari and Ruiko shared a look. "She and I left together and then we picked up those eggs. I'm glad our dorm has a daycare I could keep the egg there for a day. Taking it on this trip would be difficult." She suddenly remembered something. "Oh, I have a video of the fight. Komoe-sensei suggested we record our first team fight."

"Can we see it?" Ruiko asked hopefully.

"I can't wait to see how much onee-sama shines," Kuroko added.

 _You might be slightly disappointed since his Charmeleon saved Eevee,_ Mikoto thought. "Sure, I have it on my phone. I watched it once and saw several areas I could improve on. It was Eevee's first double battle and she has a lot to learn." Mikoto pulled out her phone and brought up the video. The other three girls pushed their heads together and watched. Ruiko and Kazari gasped when Charmeleon saved Eevee and cheered when they finally won.

"It's not just his Rampardos," Kazari pointed out. "Are all his Pokémon that powerful?"

"I think they are," Mikoto answered honestly. "I just can't figure out why he isn't as well known. Most people I know at that level would be entering tournaments constantly."

"Maybe he doesn't want to be a trainer," Ruiko suggested reasonably. "He could be after something else." She turned to Kuroko. "You have been awfully quiet." Ruiko smirked. "Jealous?"

"Of that ape?" Kuroko sniffed. "As if. I will admit he has some skill, because he can teach his Pokémon powerful moves, but that is only because he's older than us. Once we reached his age, I'm sure we will pass him easily." The other three girls sighed and Mikoto shook her head.

"Enough about me," Mikoto said. "Anything happen with you two?" She looked at Ruiko and Kazari. _I'm only one year older than them and they seem to think I have experience with everything._

"Well," Ruiko replied and leaned back in her chair. "Uiharu caught a wild Pokémon Thursday."

"What?!" exclaimed Mikoto and Kuroko. They turned to Kazari, who went scarlet.

"It's not as exciting as Saten-san makes it sound," Kazari explained quickly.

"I was a lot older than you before I caught my first Pokémon," Mikoto said impressed. "How did you do it?"

"It was an accident," Kazari mumbled under their gaze.

"Give us the details," Kuroko said to Ruiko. Kazari wasn't going to give up the information.

"We were outside at the park," Ruiko explained. "You know how wild Pokémon sometimes visit and play with the kids?" Mikoto and Kuroko nodded. "Well we were next to a couple and decided to feed them, when Uiharu tripped…"

"Only because you pulled up my skirt," Kazari interrupted. "A bunch of kids saw my underwear."

"…That might have been the reason," Ruiko continued with a grin. "Anyways, she tripped and her only pokeball fell out of her bag. It rolled toward the Pokémon. An Oddish walked up, poked the ball, and disappeared into it. The ball shook, but it didn't escape. So, tada, she has a new Pokémon."

"I was going to release it back into the wild," Kazari added. "But it didn't want to leave. Chikorita also seemed to want it to stay, so I gave up." She sighed. "It wasn't fair when they both looked at me with those expressions."

"It's still impressive in its own way," Kuroko complimented. "You are the youngest person I know who captured a Pokémon, even if it was accidently. Our teacher is remaining firm about waiting before we go out and capture our first one during class."

"They do that," Mikoto laughed, as she remembered being in Kuroko's position. "Well still, congratulations Uiharu-san. It's going to be tougher raising two Pokémon instead of only one, but I'm sure you can do it."

"Thanks," Kazari said and smiled at them. The rest of the trip they talked about school, Pokémon, and anything else that came to mind. They couldn't take out their Pokémon because the bus driver had told them to keep all Pokémon inside their pokeballs. The time passed quickly before they arrived in front of an old moss and vine covered ruins. There were several pillars surrounding the main ruins, with about half of them collapsed. The main temple was sunk halfway into the ground, but the entrance was clearly visible. The bus slowed down, stopped, and people began to get off. Mikoto and her friends were the last ones to step off the bus and they looked at the ruins again. Mikoto noticed Ruiko's eyes were sparkling while Kuroko and Kazari merely looked excited.

"This way everyone," an older male with grey hair called out. Mikoto and the others moved with the rest of the group to form a semicircle around him. "Can everyone hear me? Good. My name is Shihi Imagawa and I'll be your tour guide today. I'm glad everyone has followed our dress code of long pants and closed-toe shoes. We can't let you in otherwise. My assistants will be passing out hardhats with headlamps to everyone." He motioned to a man and women who looked to be in their upper twenties. They started moving through the crowd and passed out the equipment while he continued. "There are many ruins discovered throughout the Nelos region, but this one is probably in the best shape. It is the reason we can bring in civilians. The equipment is only a safety precaution. Does anyone have any questions before we begin?"

"How long is the tour going to be?" someone asked.

"We estimate about two hours. Time can vary depending on how long you wish to see certain areas." Shihi looked around. "No more questions? Anyone need to use the restroom? Okay, we are going to walk around the grounds before we enter the actual structure itself. Please follow me and stick together. There is a main path, but some of the ground around it can be loose and treacherous. We don't want any accidents." He turned and led the group through the columns surrounding the center structure. "Oh yes, please remember that everything here is old. Avoid touching anything you can. Thank you." He gestured to the entire area. "The ruin is over four thousand years old and was one of the first…"

"I'm surprised it's in such good shape," Ruiko confessed and looked around. "Most of the columns are still standing."

"You think this is good shape?" Kuroko asked skeptically.

"Plant life is going to grow everywhere and making it look unkempt," Kazari pointed out. "Saten-san is referring to the fact the main structure is still standing. Nature is very rough on buildings."

"I really want to see the inside," Ruiko whispered excitedly. She tried to keep her voice down to avoid disturbing the other tourists. "I heard there are all sorts of drawings and symbols."

"Looks like this area should have been built better," Mikoto commented, when their group entered a larger open area on the other side of the temple. "Or something bad happened." The girls looked around. The area had at one point been covered with stone blocks, they were still visible, but tall grass and weeds had grown up between most of them and several had been destroyed. A couple craters had formed around the edges indicating something had hit the stone with a lot of force. All the stone arches surrounding the stone ground had fallen. Several had shattered into countless pieces. In the middle, there was a simple stone alter. The sides were smoothed, but there was a few marks showing something had been engraved on them before the weather wore it away. It seemed to have been split in half.

"This area is perhaps one of the most interesting places on the ground," their guide said loudly from in front of the altar. "You may have noticed this area has not weathered the years as well as the rest of the ruins. Our research led us to believe this area was used for rituals back when people first lived in this area. They weren't as knowledgeable as us, so they still believed in magic, hilarious." A few people smirked and Mikoto shook her head. "However, because of the extensive damage, we have been unable to discern exactly what kind of rituals they performed here, but we believed they performed religious functions."

"What would have caused the damage to only be here?" someone asked.

"We believe there had been some kind of battle," Shihi explained. "What exactly the fight was over is still being examined. We couldn't even tell who they worshiped because of the damage from the fight and the years of decay." He turned and walked through the crowd. "We did however, piece together many clues found within the main temple. I'm sure you will all appreciate it."

"What do you think it is?" Kuroko whispered to Mikoto.

"No sure," Mikoto admitted. "He has given us a history lesson, but nothing specific about these ruins." She looked around and spotted a few birds flying above them, but they stayed far away. "Is it my imagination or does this area seems strangely deserted? Pokémon seem to be avoiding it."

"Now that you mention it." Kazari mumbled and looked around. "In an overgrown area like this, you would expect to see at least a couple."

"I bet it's because of the archeologists," Ruiko said dismissively. "They wouldn't want to be around people investigating the area."

"Maybe." Mikoto wasn't completely convinced. While some Pokémon might not be used to human interaction, there were plenty of scavengers who would investigate what people were doing. Many Pokémon liked to take shiny stuff or steal food. _It's almost like they don't want to come here. Maybe I'm just imagining things._ The girls followed their guide through the impressive archway surrounding the entrance to the temple.

"It's going to get dark real quick," Shihi called out. "Be prepared to turn on your headlamps and please try to avoid shining them in people's faces." He paused for a moment. "Oh, and try not to act to surprised when you see our first real sight." They turned a corner and everything turned pitch black. As one group, everything turned on their lights.

"Woah!" There was a collective breath of amazement.

"So many," Kazari gasped. When they turned the corner, they walked into the main room. The walls around them were covered by rows and rows of pictures, all resembling different Pokémon. The tour group began to spread out and examine the walls. Some red ropes were set up to discourage people from touching the drawings and everyone stood behind them. A few people brought cameras, but flash photography was banned. Shihi stood in the middle and continued to talk.

"This was our first real clue about what the inhabitants of this temple worshiped," he said loudly for everyone to hear. "As you can see, the people who lived here drew pictures of Pokémon. Many of them are similar to their modern day descendants, but many of them have changed. For example, Magicarp. Now, one of the weakest Pokémon, thousands of years ago it was much large, faster, and stronger. There's a picture over here of it." Four people immediately crowded around it.

"This is really cool," Ruiko said and slowly walked parallel to the wall. "Much better than our history books."

"I have to agree," Kuroko added. "This is completely different. Huh, I think this is a Lapras, but its back area is different. It's more curved like a shell, rather than bumpy."

"Looks at this," Kazari called out to them. "Doesn't think look like Kamijou's Rampardos?" Mikoto, Kuroko, and Ruiko gathered around her and glanced at it.

"It does," Mikoto agreed. "There's not a lot of difference between this one and his. Rampardos must not have changed that much." The guide suddenly spoke louder and tried to gather everyone's attention.

"You all might have missed it, but if you can move your head lamps to face the ceiling." Every lamp when upwards, as everyone looked up, and there was another collective gasp. The entire ceiling was covered by a giant mural of four Pokémon. The one in the center was the largest and it was surrounded by thee others, but the three were completely illegible. The Pokémon in the center was a white equine with a gray, vertically-striated underside. The striated pattern had similar recurrences on the underside of its mane, tail, and face. Its four pointed feet were tipped with gold hooves. Its long mane jutted away from its head. The face was gray with green eyes, red pupils, and ears sticking upwards. There was also a streak of gold coloration on its head. Its neck was fairly long, with two pairs of extrusions to the sides, and a flap-like feature on the neck's underside that was colored white like most of the body. It also had a golden cross-like wheel attached to its body by its round abdomen,

"We believe they worshiped Arceus," Shihi explained, as he pointed to the ceiling. "The Original One and the supposed creator of our world. The three Pokémon, you really can't identify from here, surrounding him are the creation trio, Dialga of time, Palkia of space, and Giratina of Antimatter. The portraits of the other three have faded and cracked with age. It seems like when it was drawn, the portrait of Arceus was infused into the stone, rather than painted. The other three were added as an afterthought."

"Isn't Arceus just a legend," Mikoto called out. "No one has ever confirmed a sighting."

"It is a legend," Shihi confirmed. "But there's an old saying. All myths have some basis in facts."

"Hah," Ruiko whispered.

"Arceus isn't just related to this temple," Shihi continued. "Most ruins in this region have drawings, along with other areas like the Sinnoh region. There have also been sightings of the creation trio in the last decade, so there is enough evidence that Arceus exists, or at least existed at one point. Many ancient Pokémon did not survive to this age."

"Do you believe Arceus ever revealed itself here?" someone asked.

"There is always that possibility," Shihi said. "We don't have any solid evidence it did, but there are writings and carvings farther into the ruins. I will point them out and explain what they say. This should answer a lot of your questions. Is everyone done observing the drawings?" He looked around. "You could think of this room as one of the first Pokedex's, as any Pokémon these people saw was drawn on the walls. We are now going to visit the living quarters, which is down this hallway." He stopped in front of the entrance. "Some hallways have been roped off for your safety. Cave-ins, unstable footing, and sharp objects are abundant there. Please stay with the group and out of those areas. But feel free to ask any questions you may have. We will answer them to the best of our ability."

"It would be really cool if Arceus was real," Ruiko whispered to the others, while they waited for everyone else to file into the hallway.

"A Pokémon that could create an entire world doesn't seem possible," Kazari pointed out.

"It's their belief," Kuroko said with a shrug. "We shouldn't judge them too much. There could be a lot of reasons why they worship Arceus. If a really powerful Pokémon offered them protection or hope, I could see them thinking it was a deity of some kind."

"True," Mikoto agreed. "History has told us humans and Pokémon have existed side by side since forever. I wonder why type Arceus would be. The other three were said to be dragons, so maybe it was too."

"Still looking for electric types?" Ruiko laughed and threw her arm over Mikoto's shoulders. "Don't worry. I'm keeping an eye out for any rumors that could help you find your very own legendary."

"Heh," Mikoto chuckled. "The day I catch one, I will finally consider myself an accomplish train-…" She frowned and turned around. _What was that?_ Mikoto could have sworn she felt something watching her. She shined the light around, but didn't see anything. She felt a slight shiver down her spine, something was out there, but she couldn't see it. The feeling passed, but now Mikoto was weary.

"What's wrong onee-san?" Kuroko asked worriedly.

"I felt like something was watching us," Mikoto said slowly. "It's gone now, but I swore…" Her voice trailed off.

"Maybe it's one of the pictures?" Ruiko tried to pass off jokingly.

"The rooms a lot creepier without all the lights," Kazari admitted. "We should hurry up or we are going to fall behind."

"She's right," Mikoto agreed. "We don't want to get lost." The girls moved after the rest of the group, but Mikoto gave one last look back in the room before disappearing down the hallway. Mikoto learned to trust her gut instinct, so she truly believed something had been watching them.

She was right.

High above them, in a corner of the room, one of the drawings began to move. A large white eye blinked and began to float slowly toward the ground. It had two black appendages hanging down from its body, which was really just a large eye, and one connecting the two horizontally. It almost looked like the letter A. The creature looked around and then peaked around the corner of the hallway Mikoto and her friends had traveled. The eye blinked again and slowly followed them, but kept plenty of distance.

* * *

Mikoto was enjoying herself. She wasn't the biggest history or legend nerd in Academy City, but she liked to learn new things. Their guide was knowledgeable and was able to date most drawings in the cave and explain what each room was for. Some were obvious, as there were stone remains that gave it away, but several rooms didn't have anything inside them except for the old runic language written around the entrance. The bedrooms in the temple had a few stoned pieces of furniture, but any type of bedding they had would have decayed long ago. When they traveled down three levels they came across a huge room, which their guide pointed out was most likely used for meetings. What they discussed could only be imagined, but would usually involve issues they currently faced or ways to appease their deities. It was a lot more fun than learning from history books and Mikoto made notes of some of the history she learned in case one of her classes wanted a history report in the near future.

"So," Ruiko asked, as she suddenly appeared next to Mikoto. "Having fun?"

"Yes," Mikoto admitted honestly. "The drawings are really interesting and all the legends and lore we don't read about in history books. They only give us proven facts." She looked around and saw Kuroko and Kazari talking to a couple of the other tourists. "It seems like our friends found some common ground with the others."

"I heard them talking about some of the difference between the current Pokémon from their past forms," Ruiko said. She looked at Mikoto closer, while trying to avoid shining her headlamp in Mikoto's eyes. The rooms in the temple were pitched black down here. There were torch stands, but the guide told them they wouldn't be lit to prevent ash and soot from damaging the ruins any further. Permanent lights have not been fully established down here yet. "You sure you are having fun? I would feel bad if I dragged you here and you weren't."

"I am I swear," Mikoto replied. "Why do you ask?"

"You seemed to be sticking in the back away from everyone else," Ruiko pointed out.

"Oh that," Mikoto said dismissively and waved her hand. "I'm not a huge fan of crowds, so as long as I can hear the guide I'm good."

"Too used to the attention back home?" Ruiko asked with a grin and poked Mikoto in the side with her elbow.

"Don't get me started," Mikoto sighed. "Kuroko may find it funny, but I'm tired of people thinking I'm a prodigy. I only work hard."

"And that's why we are such good friends," Ruiko laughed. "You put up with my antics and I don't worship you. Though, I do look up to you. I'm going to work hard on making my dream a reality too."

"Opening up a chain of Pokémon food shops right?" Mikoto asked.

"Yep."

"I'll definitely be stopping by plenty then," Mikoto laughed. "My Pokémon love your-…" She suddenly stopped and turned around. She caught a glimpse of something moving behind them.

"What is it?" Ruiko asked concerned and turned to face the direction Mikoto was looking. While the rest of the group was going down one hallway, they were looking down another.

"I definitely saw something move down there," Mikoto whispered. "I'm going to check it out. Want to come with me?"

"Maybe we should alert the others?" Ruiko suggested.

"Kuroko would argue with me about being reckless," Mikoto pointed out. She knew she was being reckless, but she didn't care. She wanted to find out what was following them. _It might be some ancient Pokémon living in the temple._ "If I don't go when she's distracted, I'll never be able to."

"Good point," Ruiko agreed. "Uiharu would be the same way. She would insist on telling our guide." She looked back one last time at the disappearing lights. "Let's go." Mikoto grinned and they moved in the direction she saw the thing move. They stopped and waited quietly when they reached a four way intersection. Something squeaked to their left and Mikoto pointed. Ruiko nodded and they moved that way. The hallway was pitched black and only the light beams from their helmets allowed them to see anything. "We are going to get in so much trouble," Ruiko whispered to Mikoto.

"What do you mean?" Mikoto asked, in a tone of false innocence. "We got separated from out group and thought we heard them go this way, too many distractions all around us."

"Heh," Ruiko giggled. "Sounds like you have talked your way out of trouble several times."

"I skip class every now and then," Mikoto admitted and looked to her right. "This way, but be careful." She stepped over a red rope blacking a hallway. "That sound, it's definitely close." She instinctively grabbed a pokeball at her side.

"What do you think it is?" Ruiko asked.

"Has to be a Pokémon," Mikoto said. "It doesn't sound like a human. I want to know why it's the only one here." The hallway opened into a room. She held out a hand in front of Ruiko. "There it is!" She didn't actually shout, but she couldn't contain her alarm. The Pokémon was looking right at her. She saw a large white eye flouting on the far side of the room. She directed her headlamp at it. "It looks familiar," she mumbled, not taken aback by the appearance of a large flouting eye.

"Woah," Ruiko gasped and pulled out her Pokedex. "That's an Unown. I didn't know they still existed." She held her Pokedex up.

"Unown," her Pokedex identified. "The Symbol Pokémon. Unown are said to have existed since ancient times. They have many different forms and shape, but little is known about this mysterious Pokémon."

"Should we try to catch it?" Ruiko asked. "It's a psychic type, not electric though."

"How about you catch it then?" Mikoto suggested. "Pikachu and I can help you since this is your first real battle."

"Really?!" Ruiko exclaimed. "Okay, let's do this then." She and Mikoto both threw out a pokeball.

"Pikachu!"

"Popplio!"

"Ouch!" Both of their Pokémon appeared in a flash of bright red light, which almost blinded them. Their eyes were used to the dark with only soft whitish-yellow lights from their lamps. Mikoto blinked and was the first one to recover. "Saten-san, you need to call out an atta-…"

"Pika!" Pikachu's urgent cry diverted Mikoto's and Ruiko's attention. Pikachu pointed with one paw and they lowered their headlamps to see the floor.

There was a deep pit only five feet in front of them. Their lights hadn't been pointed at the ground so they missed it.

That one step could be disastrous.

"Was it trying to make us fall?" Ruiko asked in horror. To her surprise, it was the Unown that answered instead of Mikoto.

It squeaked in alarm and shook its head. Pikachu and Popplio both looked confused and turned back toward Mikoto and Ruiko. They were waiting for direction on what to do.

"Err," Ruiko muttered thinking. "I'm sorry if we frightened you. You see, my friend saw you watching us and wanted to know why."

The Unown squeaked again.

"Why are you the only Pokémon here?" Mikoto asked. "And why didn't you just show yourself in the first place?" This time the Unown didn't make a sound. Instead, it started to glow in a light purple light. Mikoto blinked and looked down at the pit in front of them. A white light was emerging from the bottom and was getting brighter and brighter. "Look our!" she cried as a flash of light engulfed the girls and their Pokémon. The light was so bright, they couldn't even see the person next to them.

The ground beneath their feet disappeared.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**


	7. First Adventure pt2

**It's been awhile since I have updated this story, hasn't it? I did warn everyone this was a side project, so updates can be sporadic. My main story kit a point where a lot of important things have been happening. That doesn't mean I have abandoned this one. I really enjoy writing this crossover and several fun events are planned over the next couple of chapters. We do need that Golden Magikarp with the power of Judgement to show up. How else are they going to beat Accelerator? Let's go over comments briefly and then move to the main event.**

 **MrKipling22: Maybe they didn't go anywhere? Twist!**

 **Brosephg: That boy is really strong, even outside of battles. It's almost like he's a generic harem protagonist, but the story is from the girl's perspective. They stopped before the leap. It's just light from nowhere is hard to stop.**

 **G119: I love Unown for purely that reason.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: I have been playing around with that for a long time. The primal form is an interesting idea though. Time to skim Deviantart.**

 **vietnamese guy: I have seen conversations going both ways about Absol for Accelerator and Touma. Mainly because of Mega Absol's ability. Touma's forth Pokémon will be the most amazing thing ever. Charmeleon must have some kind of attract ability. After all, it gets all the Eevees.**

 **BuzZbUzsBBbz: That is an awesome idea! I'm kicking myself for not thinking of it.**

 **Acpeters: Eh, plot? I don't plan those kinds of things. Plot just happens. You can't plan for it. I also agree with Ruiko Saten and Unown combo.**

 **Formboy1 chapter: Links are hard to do on fanfic, so I couldn't see it. I should totally give Touma a Zapdos, just so Mikoto does everything to get him to trade it to her. Golden Magikarp's are no joke. (Serious Face)**

 **Q-Guest: I plan to have more pop up yes. Accelerator is going to be the next main person we see, because he has already been foreshadowed, then a few more familiar faces. Those last few questions… I can't really answer them yet.**

 **WiliamZ0: I'm going to expect instant responses now after that comment, haha. Obviously Komoe touched the tail of a Ninetails and got cursed.**

 **FrodoFighter: Charmeleon is banned from the daycare center. Fine, next contest the winner gets a free milkshake coupon. Hey, science has to be tough by older people, right? Uiharu 'caught' an Oddish. Magic doesn't exist. Creatures that can shoot elements from their mouths and bodies are creatures of science! Lots of fun things happen when people fall down holes.**

 **PocketDuelMonsters: If this story goes on long enough, I could see moving into other areas.**

 **Wiliam: I did say this was a side project.**

 **Bee: Only because you asked.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or Pokémon. I wish I did so I could retire rich.**

* * *

 _What happened?_

Mikoto rubbed her eyes and slowly stood up. She didn't remember lying down on the ground. _The last thing I remembered was the light from the floor and the ground breaking away._ _The Unown must have caused it._ Everything was pitched black around her. _I hope my headlamp isn't broken. That would be a nightmare trying to find my way in darkness. Saten-san better be okay too._ She reached a hand up to her headlamp in hopes it had just turned off, when the room suddenly lit up. Mikoto was temporarily blinded and she had to partially cover her eyes until they adjusted. The room wasn't lit up by lights she was used to, but by many torches placed periodically around the room. Mikoto didn't understand where the torches came from, but she didn't look too closely. The light had illuminated the forms of Ruiko, Pikachu, and Popplio still sleeping on the ground. "Hey," Mikoto said and started shaking them awake. "Come on, get up."

"Hmm," Ruiko murmured, but didn't open her eyes. "Uiharu… five more minutes." Ruiko rolled over on her side and Mikoto frowned.

 _Uiharu-san always complained Ruiko didn't like to get up,_ Mikoto thought. "Wake up!" she hissed loudly. "You can't sleep here."

"Mmm," Ruiko grumbled and sat up. "Misaka-san? That's right! We were on a trip into the ruins when the Unown did something to us." She looked to her left. "Popplio, are you okay?" Popplio had woken up and barked affirmatively for her. "I'm so glad. Our first battle went completely different than we expected."

"Pika?" Pikachu tugged on Mikoto's sock.

"I'm glad you are okay too," Mikoto said and squatted down to pat Pikachu's head. "The last thing I remember was the flash of light and us falling. I woke up here and then all these torches suddenly flared up." Ruiko looked around and when her eyes adjusted, she looked a little nervous.

"Did you notice what room we are in?" Ruiko asked.

"I was too preoccupied with our current situati…" Mikoto's voice died out when she noticed the walls. "How did we get here?" The walls were covered by drawings of Pokémon. "We should have been several floors before this level," Mikoto pointed out. "And the red ropes are gone, plus the walls seem… newer? Not as faded?"

"I think so too," Ruiko agreed. "Weird. What did the Unown do to us?" She looked around again. "The torches definitely weren't here before." She looked up, gasped, and pointed a shaking finger upwards. "That definitely wasn't like that when we first arrive." Mikoto slowly raised her gaze and her mouth fell open too when she saw what Ruiko was referring too. Pikachu and Popplio looked up, but they only looked confused. They had not been in the room originally.

"The ceiling looks completely restored," Mikoto gasped.

The picture of Arceus looked brand new. It was completely solid and had not begun to crack with age. The next biggest difference was the three Pokémon pictures surrounding it were now completely visible. Before they had been cracked and chipped beyond recognition. The first Pokémon sort of resembled Arceus, but was primary blue with grey metallic portions that kind of resembled armor. The second one was a light purple theropod-like Pokémon with stripes and markings of a darker shade. It had round purple-striped plates on its shoulder area, extended formations resembling gauntlets on its arm, and a pointed white crest on the top of its head that extends to its wings. The final figure was a large gray draconic Pokémon with gold half rings circling the back of its neck. Its head had a gold crown-like object surrounding it. The black wings on its back had red tips that sort of resembled claws. They were Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, the Creation Trio.

"This is weird," Ruiko said. "We should find the rest of the tour group. Do you have any idea where they are?"

"Nope," Mikoto responded and shook her head. "But I think wandering around blindly looking for them would be a bad idea. We don't know how many different routes there are. We are pretty close to the entrance, so we might as well wait up there. The group would have to come back up when they noticed we are missing."

"Sounds like a good idea," Ruiko agreed with a nod. She reached down and scooped up Popplio in her arms. Popplio could swim over twenty five miles per hour, but was pretty slow on land. They, along with Mikoto and Pikachu, started walking toward the entrance. When they turned a corner, a small amount of daylight became visible.

 _At least the entrance is in the same spot,_ Mikoto thought. _I was afraid after all this weird stuff, it would have been in a different location._ They reached the entrance and stepped out into the bright light.

Mikoto nearly had a heart attack.

The half sunken temple was no longer deep into the ground. Mikoto was standing at the top overlooking the field far below her. The grounds were no longer in ruins, but looked in pristine condition. The stone walkways were straight with no weeds growing between them. The pillars surrounding the ruins all stood tall and lined up straight. Strange markings covered them, but Mikoto couldn't see them well enough from the distance. The temple below her was not covered by moss and the area above her had not been worn out by the elements. It was as if the ruins had been reverted back to what they had been thousands of years ago. Mikoto was temporarily stunned and didn't notice the two men walking up to her and Ruiko.

"You two!" one of them snapped, which caused the girls to turn toward them quickly. "What are you doing here? The ceremony is starting." Both of the men were wearing plain brown robes,

"We got separated from our group," Mikoto replied quickly. "And everything seems off." She was phrasing her words carefully, because something else was different. She could understand what the man was saying, but she could swear the language coming out of his mouth was something completely different.

"Well hurry up," the man said suspiciously. "Get to the courtyard and get changed out of those ridiculous clothes."

"I have never seen clothes like that before," the second man added. "Especially on their heads."

"These are pretty common were we are from," Ruiko said. "Except for the helmets." Mikoto instantly knew Ruiko said something wrong when the eyes of both men widened.

"I knew they looked strange," the second man said. "They must be spies."

"Using children to discover our secrets," the first man spat out. "How low can those outsiders get. Cofagrigus!" The man suddenly yelled. "Capture these intruders!" A movement caught Mikoto's eye and she looked up. A blue and yellow sarcophagus with red, menacing eyes and four ebony hands that appeared to be shadows descended down upon them. A simple designed face was prominent on the "forehead" of the Pokémon. White, sharp fangs created a taunting smile beneath the red eyes and flamboyant patterns veiled the coffin. "Use Nightshade!"

"Pikachu!" Mikoto yelled quickly. "Thunder Shock!"

"Piikkaachuuu!" Pikachu yelled as electricity surrounded its body and was unleashed as a bolt toward Cofagrigus. Two black beans had shot out of its eyes and the attacks collided in midair with an explosion. The smoke cleared and both sides had been unharmed.

"Popplio," Ruiko ordered and raised her hands holding it up. "Disarming Voice!" Popplio opened its mouth and cried out loudly. Pink heart shapes fired off like a beam toward Cofagrigus and hit it squarely in the chest. Cofagrigus was knocked back in the air a few feet, but righted itself up in only a moment. It continued to grin and did not look hurt. There was also shouting in the distance and Mikoto feared more people would show up. They definitely weren't among friends.

"Will-O-Wisp," the man commanded. Several balls of bluish-white flames appeared around Cofagrigus and started flying toward Pikachu and Popplio. The biggest issue was Ruiko was still holding Popplio, so Mikoto made the decision instantly. She reached over and grabbed Ruiko's arm.

"Run!" she yelled and Ruiko didn't hesitate. They bolted away from the wisps flying at them. "She pointed to the row of trees next to the temple. "We can lose them in the forest." They bounded down the stairs with Pikachu running ahead of them. Cofagrigus and the two men were hot on their tail. Ruiko and Mikoto were both athletic and managed to beat the men to the bottom of the stairs. The forest was a lot thicker than Mikoto thought it was from the temple, but that was actually more beneficial for them. It made it easier to hide. The two girls disappeared in between the trees until they were out of earshot of the men. They then crouched behind some bushes and waited silently. The men rustle around in the distance, shouted something, but eventually gave up. The two girls sighed and leaned up against trees to catch their breath.

"So where are we?" Ruiko asked. "It looks the same, but everything is so… different."

"I don't know," Mikoto admitted. She glanced up and saw a couple birds hopping around the forest floor and low hanging branches. She had never seen anything like them before. It was definably a bird, but also appeared to have reptilian traits. The large, red head was covered in discernible scales, and its neck has blue and red feathers. The body was covered in untidy, sallow feathers, and it had blue, clawed wings that seemed incapable of flight. The legs were short and thin. Its twig-like tail bore a diamond-shaped blue feather. Wide white eyes with black pupils, but no irises, occasionally flickered onto the girls. Mikoto pulled out her Pokedex.

"Archen, the First Bird Pokémon. Said to be an ancestor of all modern bird Pokémon, they were unable to fly and moved about by hopping from one branch to another."

"Wait, what?" Ruiko gasped and scooted over to look at Mikoto's Pokedex. "Archen's should have been extinct millions of years ago and our guide said this temple was only a couple thousand years old. What's going on?"

"Do you think that Unown sent us back in time?" Mikoto asked. "You know more about legends than I do."

"Not a lot is known about them actually," Ruiko answered and crossed her arms while she closed her eyes. "They are supposed to have a hidden power, but people mainly think it has something to do with their alphabet shapes. The only Pokémon I can recall being able to travel through time is the legendary Celebi." She looked up. "There has to be a reason we came here though. The Unown didn't seem like it was trying to hurt us. Those guys didn't expect to see us either, so it doesn't seem they are working together."

"Something is happening in the courtyard," Mikoto added, as she remembered what one of the men said. "The timing can't be coincidence. I think you are right about the Unown though. If it did send us back in time, it wants to show us something and the only way to do that…" She trailed off and looked at Ruiko.

"Is to go back and see what's happening," Ruiko finished. "If the forest is like what we saw in our time, it should get us pretty close without being seen." Popplio barked slightly and scooted up next to her. "I know it will be dangerous." She hugged Popplio. "But we don't have much choice. At the very least, we need to find the Unown."

"Pikachu," Pikachu said depressed and hopped into Mikoto's lap. "Chu Pika.

"I don't like it either," Mikoto agreed. "But it's our only shot of getting home." A sudden crash echoed in the trees and all the Archen's scattered. They bolted off in different directions instantly. The sound of heavy footsteps began to echo in the forest. _What now?_ Mikoto thought desperately, as she sprung to her feet. Her question was answered and she wished she never asked it. A large, dinosaurian Pokémon, closely resembling theropods like a Tyrannosaurus, emerged from behind a tree. It was predominantly brick-red in coloration, with scaly patterns on its skin and scattered orange highlights. The underbelly was gray with white borders, and it had a long tail with two orange spikes near the tip. Its small forelimbs had only two black clawed digits, but instead had powerful hind legs with three sharp, black talons. Plated, armor-like ridges formed on the front of the legs and down the back and tail. Mikoto's Pokedex was still open and it went off.

"Tyrantrum, the Despot Pokémon. Thanks to its gargantuan jaws, which could shred thick metal plates as if they were paper, it was invincible in the ancient world it once inhabited."

"Oh, that is not good," Mikoto mumbled. Popplio and Pikachu jumped in front of the girls, ready to defend them. Tyrantrum looked down at the four of them and a toothy grin appeared on its face. It opened its jaws and roared. Mikoto was forced to cover her ears. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ruiko's face turn white. "We can take it down if we work together," she told her to raise her spirits. Ruiko still looked sick, but nodded. "Pikachu, Electro Ball!"

"Popplio," Ruiko cried. "Disarming Voice!" A beam of pink hearts flew out of Popplio's mouth while Pikachu jumped into the air. A ball of electricity form at the tip of its tail and it flew at Tyrantrum when Pikachu spun around. Both attacks hit accurately against their target with an explosion. Due to its size, Tyrantrum could not dodge. When the smoke cleared, both girls' face paled. Tyrantrum didn't look phased in the least, even though fairy moves, like Disarming Voice, was super effective against Dragon-types. Tyrantrum's tail began to glow blue. It turned around and smacked Pikachu before it hit the ground.

"Pikachu!" Mikoto cried out desperately as Pikachu flew through the air and collided with a tree. Pikachu slid down and landed on the ground with a thud, but managed to get back up to its feet. "Can you keep fighting?"

"Pika," Pikachu said weakly.

"Let's cover them," Ruiko called out. "Water Gun!" A high pressure stream of water shot out of Popplio's mouth and hit Tyrantrum. They might as well have thrown a rock at it for all the good it did. Tyrantrum barely even noticed. It walked toward Popplio and opened its mouth. A hungry gleam in its eye. "Get away!" Ruiko cried out terrified and was about to run forward.

"Use Iron-..!" Mikoto tried to call out, but a movement interrupted all of their actions. Something charged out of the tree and collided with the side of Tyrantrum.

The force of the collision sent Tyrantrum's bulk flying over ten feet.

The two girls were greeted by a very familiar dark grey and blue Pokémon.

"Rampardos?!" Mikoto and Ruiko exclaimed in shock. Rampardos looked at them for a moment, and then turned its attention back toward Tyrantrum. Even though Rampardos was a couple feet smaller than Tyrantrum, it had still sent Tyrantrum flying. Tyrantrum roared in anger and faced its new opponent. The two dinosaurs looked at each other and opened their mouths. A ball of white light appeared in each one before flying at each other. They collided in midair and exploded, engulfing the area between them in smoke. Mikoto thought she saw Rampardos glow for a moment too. The smoke cleared and both Pokémon charged at each other. Tyrantrum brought its head down while Rampardos raised its own. The top of Rampardos's head collided with the forehead of Tyrantrum.

Mikoto believed she saw a shockwave as dust and grass was blown back from the force of the collision.

Tyrantrum's eye twitched and it took a step back. Rampardos pressed its advantage and headbutted it in the stomach. Tyrantrum grunted with pain and backed up again. Rampardos opened its mouth and a blue orb appeared this time. Three blue-white beams shot out of it and hit Tyrantrum in the chest. Ice started to form and continued the cover its torso. Tyrantrum roared in pain, as ice was super effective against dragon-types. It took another step back and its eyes fell on the girls and their Pokémon. A strange look appeared on its face, like it thought the small creatures weren't worth this effort, and turned to lumber away into the forest. Mikoto fell to her knees in shock, while Pikachu walked over to her.

Mikoto could not understand the absurdity of the situation. This resembled her first meeting with Touma and the Ursaring. After she and Pikachu were unable to beat an opponent, Rampardos rushed in to save the day. It even knew Ice Beam, which was unusual for a rock-type to learn. She kept looking around, expecting to see the spikey haired trainer. No one else was there though and Rampardos looked really pleased with itself. Ruiko noticed Mikoto surveying the area and managed to grin.

"Looking for your knight in shiny armor?" she asked teasingly.

"Wha…?!" Mikoto gasped, but her face started to burn. "No, I figured this was too much to be a coincidence."

"There's no way he could be here," Ruiko pointed out. "He wasn't with us and I doubt he found a way to travel though time." Rampardos sniffed the air, walked over to her, and started nudging her backpack. "Hey, quit it." She tried to push Rampardos off her, but it was adamant on getting into her backpack. "Oh, I think I know what you want. Hold on." She pulled off her backpack and reached into it. "Here you go. Thanks for saving us." She handed several Pokémon biscuits to Rampardos, who started to devour them greedily. She also handed one to Pikachu and Popplio. "Heh, I forget sometimes. I pack treats automatically." She turned to Mikoto. "So, are we going to go back?"

"We have to," Mikoto confirmed. "Preferably before something else shows up." She glanced at Pikachu and Popplio. "Are you two ready?"

"Pika!" Pikachu stood up on its back legs and saluted. Popplio clapped its flippers together and barked.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Ruiko admitted. "Wish Uiharu was here. Flipping her skirt always makes me feel better."

"Heh." Mikoto couldn't help grinning slightly at the image of Kazari's shocked face at Ruiko's relaxation technique. The two girls and their Pokémon began to make their way back to the temple. "Hey, you can't come. Go on, shoo!" Rampardos had been tailing them and didn't seem to want to leave. Ruiko even threw a biscuit off into the woods for it to chase after, but it kept coming back. Eventually, they let it follow them after making it promise to stay quiet. When they could see the temple through the woods, they snuck around the forest edge to the courtyard in the back. Once they could see, they crouched behind some bushes and watched.

There were around thirty or so people wearing brown robes standing in the ceremonial courtyard. Like the rest of the temple, the area looked new compared to what Mikoto had first seen. The stone blocks covering the ground had not broken and the craters did not exist. The stone arches lining the grounds were all standing tall. The simple unbroken stone altar was sitting in the middle of all this with a large circular stone object placed on it. A single man stood behind it and seemed to be directing the rest of the people into their location. Mikoto also noticed a large chain that might have been made out of stone, because it didn't look like metal from her location, coiled up in a pile next to one of the pillars. She couldn't hear most of what was being discussed, but she saw a Pokémon she had never seen before standing next to the man in the middle. She pulled out her Pokedex.

"Sigilyph, the Avianoid Pokémon. The guardians of an ancient city, they use their psychic power to attack enemies that invade their territory." Sigilyph was a spherical Pokémon and possessed two cyan eyes with a third on a black appendage on top of its head. It had a pair of wings and a tail that were yellow with blue and red stripes on each of the "feathers", two black-colored three-toed "feet", and two small spikes at its base.

"The hour is at hand!" the man called out to the others suddenly. His voice was loud enough for Mikoto to easily make out his words. "We shall save our paradise from the outsiders and show them what it means to be the aggressor! We will not stop until every one of them is gone!" He paused for a moment to let the cheers die down. "They are numerous and their allied creatures are far more so! We have no choice but to call on our guardian to protect us, less we lose everything!" There was mumbling among them. "While it is true, this is a risky gamble, Arcues is a fickle god, but he will help us, one way or another." There was scattered cheering again. "Everyone, in position! Today will be the day we take back our future!"

"Arcues?" Mikoto mumbled in shock. "They are planning to summon him?"

"Is that even possible?" Ruiko asked amazed. Mikoto shrugged, but she saw Ruiko had a gleam of excitement in her eyes. "If it's true, we might be the only ones who actually get to witness it."

"I'm more worried about who they consider outsiders," Mikoto said and turned her attention back to the courtyard, were the people were moving next to each of the arches. _They considered us outsiders, but, from what they said, we couldn't have been the first. It sounds like they are at war with this group. I suppose it doesn't really concern us. We should be trying to find that Unown and get it to send us back, but I have a weird feeling it wants us to see this. Sneaking back into the temple with everyone outside and Pokémon guarding the entrance probably isn't possible, so I might as well watch._ She took a deep breath and focused on the ritual the people were performing.

"Our lord Arceus!" the man in the middle shouted and raised his arms into the air. Everyone else started chanting and their voices merged together and echoed so Mikoto could not understand them. "Your humble servants require your aid. Our world, our very lives, are in danger. You told our ancestors to call when we were in trouble. It has been countless years and the time has come!" The runes and symbols on the stone arches began to glow brightly. "Hear our call!" The chanting grew loudly and clouds began to gather in the air. The wind picked up and Mikoto suddenly felt uneasy.

"Something is happening," Ruiko whispered. "Do you think this is magic our guide told us?"

"After everything that happened so far," Mikoto answered. "I'm willing to believe anything right now."

"Pikachu pika." Mikoto turned around and saw Pikachu, Popplio, and Rampardos chatting. Popplio responded by barking a couple times and Rampardos nodded.

"Rampard, Rampardos."

"Pika? Pikachu chu." Mikoto had no idea what they were talking about and turned her attention back toward the ritual taking place. The man had set his hands on the altar, one on each side of the large stone sphere, and shouted once more. "Arceus, please respond to our summons!" The clouds began to swirl in the sky and lightning flash high above them. The wind picked up again and the Pokémon turned quiet. They could tell something was happening too. Mikoto watched the sky and her mouth fell open.

A hole opened in the sky and a large Pokémon descended slowly.

 _It can't be!_ Mikoto thought. She recognized the white, grey, and gold Pokémon from the picture in the temple. Different colored light seemed to be emitting from it. The clouds began to dissipate once Arceus had completely emerged from them. "Arceus… is real?" She turned to Ruiko, who appeared as stunned as she felt. Then, to Mikoto's surprise, Ruiko pulled out her cellphone. "What are you doing?" Mikoto hissed.

"We are going to be one of the few people to actually see Arceus," Ruiko whispered back excitedly. "Pictures are a must."

"Oh," Mikoto realized and admitted Ruiko had a point. She pulled out her phone and snapped a photo. While the girls took their souvenirs, Arceus had stopped around thirty feet above the man in the middle of the courtyard.

"It is unusual for a human to summon me," Arceus's booming voice echoed across the area. "Why have you done so?"

"He can talk?" Mikoto and Ruiko whispered in shock. They didn't say anything else because they were keen on hearing what was going to happen next.

"Lord Arceus," the man said and bowed reverently. "Countless years ago, you blessed this land with life so the forgotten creatures can once again walk among this world. Our ancestors were tasked to watch over them and keep this area pure, while passing on your generosity. Now, evil men from across the seas have begun to invade our land. They have creatures that serve them as slaves, rather than living together. We are hopelessly outnumbered and need your help."

"I do not wish to escalate violence," Arceus replied. "If they are truly as dark as you said, then the land itself would have warned me. In fact, I only answered your call because I have something I wish to say."

"What is that my lord?"

"My creations have said you have begun to force them to do work, more then what is needed to survive. The structure behind you was built on the backs of many of my children."

"We needed to make a place of worship worthy of you," the man tried to explain.

"Enough," Arceus commanded. "Normally, you should be punished for your arrogance, but maybe meeting these outsiders might be a perfect opportunity. I will not get involved between your squabbles." He started to slowly rise back into the air. "If this land is tainted, you and your descendants will be held responsible." The people standing around the arches started mumbling worriedly.

"I hoped you would be willing to help us," the man said and Mikoto heard the tone of his voice turn ice cold. "Now, we have to do this the hard way." He suddenly shouted, "Use the bindings!" At his command, thousands of Unowns began to pour out of the temple from every entrance. Arceus froze and watched as the Unowns in every shape of the alphabet begun to swirl around it.

"What is this?!" Arceus demanded.

"We figured you wouldn't be willing to help us on your own accord," the man told him. "So we devised a way to make you." The piles of chains on both sides of the ritual space started to glow purple and rose into the air. Both of them then flew at Arceus, wrapped around its torso, and tightened.

"You will pay for your treachery!" Arceus roared and large white orb appeared in front of its mouth. A powerful beam shot out at the Unowns, but it collided against an invisible barrier right before the attack hit.

"You are too predictable Arceus," the man called up to it. "It took years to set this plan up, but it will be worth it." He pulled a necklace off his neck and held up a small key. Mikoto couldn't quite make it out from her spot, but it looked yellow. "This is something our best magicians made to capture you. The Unown and chains will only be able to hold you for so long otherwise." He took the key and inserted it into the stone sphere on the altar. The top half of the orb opened up and it turned out the inside was hollow. A red light suddenly appeared and kept growing brighter. Several strips of light shot out and attached to Arceus, like tendrils. Arceus was beginning to descend slowly, as the red light dragged Arceus toward the sphere.

"You do not understand what you are attempting!" Arceus warned the man.

"I understand we will use your power, one way or another." The man made a gesture to the Unowns and they began to close in on Arceus.

"We have to help," Ruiko said urgently to Mikoto. "We can't let them capture Arceus this way."

"That orb," Mikoto muttered and pointed. "It kind of resembles our pokeballs." She looked toward the Unowns creating the shields and the chains that seemed to be keeping Arceus above the courtyard. "I doubt we can get near the orb itself. That Sigilyph looks strong. However, we might be able to break the chain nearest to us. If we hit the base of it, we should be able to break it." She looked at Pikachu. "Think you can do it?"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded vigorously.

"Popplio, do you think can help cover them?" Ruiko asked. Popplio barked in affirmative and its eyes had nothing but determination in them. "I'll be right by your side." Rampardos was watching them curiously.

"Come on Pikachu!" Mikoto said and stood up. They rushed out of the bushes toward the chain. Ruiko scooped up Popplio and ran after them. Mikoto and Pikachu had almost reached the chain when warning shouts from the people started.

"It's the intruders!" someone yelled.

"Stop them!" the man in the middle yelled. "Don't let them interrupt."

"Pikachu!" Mikoto yelled and held out a hand. "Iron Tail!"

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped up into the air and its tail began to glow white. Pikachu spun around in midair and swung its tail straight down. A resounding clang echoed and a small crack appeared in the link embedded in the ground. The force blew Pikachu back, but it landed on its feet. Mikoto gritted her teeth at the resilience of the chain, but realized she should have known better.

 _It's holding down Arceus, so obviously breaking it is going to take a lot of work._ The people in brown robes were closing in on them.

"Water gun!" Ruiko tossed Popplio up into the air. A high pressure blast of water shot out of its mouth and knocked the first row of people back into the rest. Popplio landed softly on the ground and glared at them.

"Do I have to do everything myself?" the man roared angrily, but he barely took his eyes off Arceus. It was obvious he could prioritize. "Sigilyph, take care of them." Sigilyph nodded and flapped its wings. It took off and stopped above the group of fallen humans. A rainbow beam of light shot out of its eye at Popplio, who could not get out of the way. With a cry of pain, Popplio was thrown backwards by the force. Ruiko ran forward, arms outstretched, to catch Popplio. She fell back on her butt from the momentum.

"Are you okay?" Ruiko asked. Popplio barked weakly. "That was a powerful Psybeam."

"Thunder Shock!" Mikoto yelled. Pikachu started emitting sparks from its cheeks and then unleashed a bolt of electricity at Sigilyph. Sigilyph shifted to the left to dodge the attack and then flapped its wings in response. A gust of wind erupted from them and dozens of light blue blades flew down at Pikachu. "Dodge, quick!" Pikachu jumped back and forth to dodge the onslaught and each blade left a small cut in the ground. _We aren't getting anywhere. Beating that Sigilyph is going to take too long._ Her eyes fell on Arceus, who was sinking even closer to the ancient pokeball. Its gaze fell upon her and Mikoto gulped. _It's only looking at me and I can feel its power._ She shook her head and was about to give the battle her all, when Rampardos no longer was content with waiting on the sideline.

"Rampard!" A white orb flew from Rampardos' mouth and hit Sigilyph with a large explosion. The force sent it flying backwards. Rampardos looked over at Mikoto and Pikachu, and then nodded.

"Rampardos gave us an opening Pikachu," Mikoto said and Pikachu nodded. "We can't waste it. Iron Tail one more time. Aim for the same spot!"

"Pikachuuu!" Pikachu jumped into the air, spun vertically, and brought its glowing tail straight down at the base of the stone chain. With a mighty crack, the chain broke. It was followed by a roar that shook the very ground they stood on. The broken chain fell off Arceus and Arceus began to rise up into the air. The tendrils of red light from the sphere began to break and fade away. The Unowns began to panic and started to flee in every direction. Storm clouds formed and lightning flashed across the sky. Everything darkened.

"You fools!" the man yelled at Mikoto and Ruiko. "You have doomed us all!"

"Your arrogance has doomed you!" Arceus corrected him sternly. It flew up high into the sky. "For your insidious attempt, I will now pass Judgement!" A large yellow orb appeared on the top of Arceus's head and then fired several beams into the air. The beams disappeared into the clouds for a moment, before an explosion lit up the sky. From the explosion, countless balls of fire rained down on the area. The first few hit the Unowns' shield, but it broke soon after. With the Unowns fleeing, there was nothing to support it. The flaming hail broke apart arches, left craters in the ground, and battered the temple. Mikoto felt someone tug on her sleeve and broke away from the sight before her.

"We have to get out of here," Ruiko gasped.

"But we have to get to the temple and find the-…" Mikoto started to say, when a familiar shape floated down toward them. The Unown squeaked. "Where have you been!?" Mikoto demanded. "You made us follow you and then send us to Arceus knows where, and now you finally show up?!" She covered her head as one of the flaming balls hit the ground relatively close to her. "Get us out of here!"

The Unown squeaked again and spin around on its axis. A white portal appeared in front of Mikoto.

"I think it wants us to enter it," Ruiko said and grabbed Mikoto's hand. "It's better than staying here."

"Yep," Mikoto agreed and the two girls entered with Pikachu and Popplio. A flaming ball of hail hit only a few feet away from the Unown and it was knocked off its axis. The portal flickered and began to shrink. Rampardos looked at it for a moment and then jumped in after the girls.

* * *

Mikoto found herself sitting on the ground in completely darkness. She reached up and flipped the switch of her head lamp and, to her relief, it turned on. She looked around and recognized the familiar room. It was one of the last one they had been in before chasing the Unown in the first place. Another light turned on and Ruiko stood up. Popplio and Pikachu were looking around. They did not have lights, so they kept close to their respective trainers. "Tell me that wasn't a dream," Mikoto said.

"If it was," Ruiko replied with a grin. "I think we both had it based on that statement." They heard a familiar squeak and turned their lights to the Unown flouting at roughly eye level several feet away. It was hard to tell, since most of its face was just an eye, but it looked slightly embarrassed. "Nope, definitely was not a dream. Uh, hi?"

"Why did you send us back in time?" Mikoto asked. "Actually, how did you do that?" Unown squeaked several times and spun around on its axis, but nothing happened and it eventually stopped. "Arg, I wish I spoke Pokémon."

"If what we saw was the past," Ruiko muttered deep in thought. "Those people upset Arceus and he destroyed the entire area as punishment. The Unowns at the time were working for them. I bet this guy is all alone, for who knows how long, and is really lonely." The Unown nodded and looked depressed. A smile appeared on Ruiko's face. "Would you like to come with me?" The Unown looked up curiously and Mikoto's eyes widened. "This way, you don't have to be alone, and I love rumors and legends. We might be able to run into more of you." The Unown was quiet for a second, and then suddenly moved to Ruiko's side. It started to rub up against her arm and hum happily.

"I think that's a yes," Mikoto laughed. Popplio barked and the Unown flouted down next to it. "Looks they get along already."

"Here you go," Ruiko said and pulled out a pokeball from her backpack. She held it out and the Unown touched it. A flash of red light went off and it disappeared. "I caught my first Pokémon!"

"Congratulations," Mikoto said. She patted Ruiko on the back. "Now, our next to dilemma is to explain to Kuroko and Uiharu-san why we disappeared."

"Well," Ruiko answered slowly. "We should probably return our Pokémon first and say we got lost for now."

"Good idea," Mikoto replied with a nod. "We can explain everything later, plus we have pictures." Mikoto held up Pikachu's pokeball and Ruiko imitated her action with Popplio. Once their Pokémon disappeared in red light, they started to walk toward the tunnel leading to the surface, when they heard a voice from another hallway.

"Onee-sama!" Kuroko called out. "You and Saten-san need to hurry up or you are going to get separated." The girls looked at each other.

"Did the Unown send us back to right before we started chasing after it?" Mikoto asked in shock.

"I think so," Ruiko answered stunned. "But I have the feeling the trip through time was a onetime thing."

"I kind of feel we should have done more to help out," Mikoto mumbled, more to herself.

"All the books I read say don't mess with time travel," Ruiko said sternly. "You don't know how it affects the future." She grinned. "Be proud we managed to help Arceus."

"Those guys definitely weren't friendly," Mikoto continued. "But I do hope they escaped."

"I think Arceus would have let them live," Ruiko pointed out. "The temple is still put together. Instead of thinking of the negatives, think how exciting this trip was."

"This day was weird," Mikoto replied. "But really exciting, like what a good adventure should be like. This never happens on our school trips." She grabbed Ruiko's arm. "Let's hurry, we don't want to keep the others waiting. We might run out of _time_ before seeing everything." The girls burst out laughing and raced toward Kuroko's voice.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **Nothing like a good Pokémon adventure. They meet a legendary, solidify friendship, but never catch the legendries. One person had a great idea to have the Pokémon comment on the chapter, so I think I'm going to start doing that.**

 **Pikachu: Thanks for saving us Rampardos.**

 **Popplio: You were like, boom, pow, bam, bash, and then zap. You were so cool!**

 **Rampardos: He and I fight constantly. That was our 97** **th** **fight and my fourteenth win.**

 **Pikachu: Wait, you only won fourteen times?**

 **Rampardos: Tyrantrum is older than me and I just caught up. I learned to shoot ice purely to beat him.**

 **Popplio: You are so amazing to learn that on your own. Teach me how to be that cool.**

 **Rampardos: Headbutt everything.**

 **Popplio: Yes master!**

 **Pikachu: Boys… acting like idiots over something so stupid, like Eevee lately when she's obsessed with that Chameleon.**


	8. Training

**Time for another great chapter of this crossover. It's leading up to another big event I have planned to introduce a new character. No matter what happens, I always find myself gravitating back to this story. Crossovers are way more fun than I realized they were and not a friend of mine showed me other series I want to make with crossovers, so it looks like my time available to sleep will be dwindling away. Glad people seemed satisfied with the previous adventure and I think it answered a lot of questions people had. Well, without further delay, onwards to comments.**

 **Brosephg: One day, I will get you to spoil things. One day! Pokémon adventure is as following: MC gets involved in something, finds legendary Pokémon, does not catch legendary, MC does other things, events go back to normal. Does anyone actually dislike Ruiko? She's one of those who you just can't hate. Rampardos is OP, nerf it!**

 **Acpeters: As this is a side project, the events aren't as long and drawn out. It's supposed to be for amusement. Time travel is a very precise endeavor. One of Arceus's attacks caused it to move slightly and the time dilation was disturbed. I personally like my main one slightly more, as so many ideas have formed together to create a story rich with plot, but this one is more for fun and thus, don't have to work at it nearly as seriously.**

 **WiliamZ0: Hah, my first work takes a while to read and so does ACUL0. The generic harem protagonist was a joke. Touma Kamijou was designed by the original author NOT to be one. Touma will have to get a Charzard before he can make it go primal.**

 **Salishious: Pssh, Rampardos doesn't know Judgement. It knows Headbutt, Ice Beam, Ancient Power, and Super Headbutt.**

 **Chen: Everyone has preferences. I never hold that against anyone.**

 **vietnamese guy: Huh, will have to find a trainer for it.**

 **Formboy1: Not sure why Spark gets hated on so much, but I'm on Team Mystic, so doesn't affect me. Unown was made for Ruiko, like the most perfect Pokémon. I google how to spell Pokémon names ALL the time. Time travel is one of the many ways to catch dinosaurs.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: Rampardos knows It knows Headbutt, Ice Beam, Ancient Power, and a move yet to be shown. Rampardos is not the… brightest bulb in the world? It would easily forget people it only saw once after a while.**

 **Agent Nine: You know what? I have no idea. This story has no plot predetermined.**

 **PocketDuelMonsters: Touma's secret Pokémon is about to be revealed and he will eventually catch another one. I will spoil that Darkrai belongs to a person already. They haven't been revealed yet though.**

 **ReaperOfShadows125: Mikoto found the Pokémon and helped send it to Touma through time travel. Touma then uses the Rampardos to meet Mikoto with, who then recognizes Rampardos when traveling back in time so she could find it and send it back to Touma. (This is why time travel is confusing.)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or Pokémon. I wish I did so I could retire rich.**

* * *

"Kuroko," Mikoto sighed. "I'll say it again. You don't have to come with me. It's only practice."

"But there's no telling what that ape is going to do when I'm not around," Kuroko replied earnestly. "During practice, he might pretend to trip to cop a feel. Trust me, all guys are the same."

"I doubt that," Mikoto sighed. _What does she think he has actually done?_ She glanced at the egg in her incubator she was carrying. She had told Kuroko she was only bringing it in case it started to hatch, but she actually wanted Touma to see it. "Besides," she glanced down at Pikachu, who was walking next to them. "If he tried anything, Pikachu would shock him."

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed with a nod.

"I'll be counting on you," Kuroko said to Pikachu and smiled. She felt better now. "You know, I'm still having a hard time processing what you and Saten-san said happened to you yesterday. Even with the proof, it was so…"

"Unbelievable?" Mikoto asked with a grin and Kuroko nodded. "I was there and still think that." Mikoto briefly remembered the look of disbelief on Kazari's and Kuroko's faces yesterday after Mikoto and Ruiko described what had happened to them. It took a good part of the ride back to Academy City to answer all their questions. It had been obvious Kuroko wanted to believe her, but her reaction was understandable. Mikoto and Ruiko had returned only a few moments after Kuroko had lost sight of them. It wasn't until Ruiko showed off her Unown when they got off the bus, their story was finally verified. Mikoto also showed them a picture of Arceus on her phone, something she had kept from them so they wouldn't freak out on the ride back. Kazari actually started to freak out a little bit and Ruiko dragged her back to their dorm to try to calm her down before she made a scene.

"Still," Kuroko continued and looked up at the sky. "To actually see Arceus…" She looked over at Mikoto. "I take it you don't want this information spread around, right?"

"Yeah," Mikoto admitted. "Imagine what others would say."

"I think it would only confirm to them how amazing you are," Kuroko replied with a laugh while Mikoto groaned. "Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret and I'm sure Uiharu will say the same thing to Saten-san." She looked around. "Why are we meeting the ape outside of the city anyways?" Kuroko suddenly asked. "There are plenty of practice fields a lot closer."

"We are probably going to train against his Rampardos," Mikoto explained. "As it's one of our more powerful Pokémon. The thing is, Rampardos is rare, so it will draw a lot of attention. It's why he is using his Chameleon. He doesn't like to stand out."

"Really?" Kuroko asked confused. "That's unusual. Usually strong trainers want to show off. Entering a tournament is no way to stay anonymous."

"His friend and I pushed him into it," Mikoto admitted. "But I'm going to respect his wishes."

"So kind to even the lowest lifeforms," Kuroko swooned and clasped her hands together. Mikoto rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything. Kuroko would warm up to him in time, hopefully _._ They almost reached the rendezvous point when Kuroko sighed. "I wish I could help train you onee-sama, but Abra really needs to evolve before it can start using offensive moves." Her eyes widened when she realized something. "Uiharu and Saten-san both have more Pokémon than me! I'm falling behind!"

"Calm down," Mikoto told her and put a hand on Kuroko's shoulders, as she grabbed her hair in frustration. "Number's don't mean anything, but how about this. After school tomorrow, we can go and look for a second Pokémon for you. "

"Just us?"

"Yeah. We haven't done much together recently."

"You want to go on a date?" Kuroko asked in surprise. Mikoto's mouth fell open in shock. Her brain tried to understand how Kuroko had come to that conclusion. Before she could say anything, Kuroko continued. "Onee-sama has finally decided to return my love!" Kuroko cheered and clasped her hands together. "I knew after all this time she would realize her feelings for me! After she and I find the perfect Pokémon for me, we can find a shady spot on the hill and watch the sunset." A sickening smile spread on her face. "When the sun goes down we can embrace each other as our clothes-…ouch!" Mikoto hit her.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," Mikoto growled. "Or we won't go at all." Kuroko gasped and quickly shut her mouth. _Seriously, she won't understand I'm not into girls. I prefer boys, like T… some of those Pokémon champions._ They started walking down a small path and entered a clearing where Mikoto had told Touma about. It was close enough to get here easily, but out of the way enough to hopefully avoid being disturbed. To Mikoto's surprise, Touma had actually beaten her. _Huh, I actually expected him to be late… Why is she here?!_ Mikoto's eyes narrowed at the blonde girl sitting and laughing on a rock next to him.

"Shokuhou-san is with him?" Kuroko whispered. "You mentioned she was also with you in the mentorship program, but you didn't say she would be here."

"I didn't know," Mikoto replied. "It turned out they knew each other when they were younger, before she went overseas for a while. I bet he mentioned it to her and she wanted to come watch."

"A childhood friend?" Kuroko looked deep in thought and then grinned, something Mikoto did not miss. It was obvious what Kuroko was thinking, even though Mikoto had told her there was nothing romantic between herself and Touma. Kuroko started walking forward faster and Mikoto had to rush to follow. "Hello Shokuhou-san!" Kuroko called out cheerfully. As they got closer, Mikoto noticed all of Touma's and Misaki's Pokémon were out. Rampardos was pacing around and obviously bored. Charmeleon was sprawled out on a rock and was trying to sleep, but was finding it difficult as Sylveon kept snuggling up next to it. The white Vulpix was sitting in Misaki's lap and she was brushing it. Vulpix looked really happy with her technique. Surprisingly, Riolu was working out in front of Touma and Misaki. It seemed to be practicing punching and kicking.

"Why, hello Shirai-san," Misaki called out politely when Kuroko drew near. "I didn't know you were going to come. Hello Misaka-san. I was beginning to wonder what was keeping you."

"We arrived fifteen minutes early," Mikoto pointed and scowled at her. Mikoto's eyes traveled to the incubator holding Misaki's egg, nestled in the grass. _Dang, she thought the same thing._

"Your Vulpix is so pretty," Kuroko complimented and knelt down in front of Misaki. Vulpix looked happy at the compliment, but Riolu quickly hid behind Touma. "What's with him?" she asked Touma.

"Riolu gets nervous easily around new people," Touma explained. "I've been working with him to conquer his stage fright. Hopefully, our practice today will be able to inspire him." He turned to Mikoto. "Glad you could make it."

"It was my idea," Mikoto told him and looked away. _That was definitely more than a hello. Could he mean he was really glad I showed up?_ Kuroko scowled when she saw their exchange.

"I hope you have a plan on how you expect to train, Ape," Kuroko said.

"Shirai-san," Misaki admonished. "You know it's rude to call someone names." Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Why would you do such a thing to him?" Kuroko looked away slightly embarrassed, but did not apologize.

"Long story," Mikoto answered with a sigh.

"I have an idea actually," Touma admitted to Kuroko and all three girls looked at him. "Misaka and I have to learn to fight together, so the problem lies in who our opponents will be. Rampardos was willing to be our opponent…"

"Rampardos!" Rampardos called out and pawed at the dirt with its foot.

"…but a two on one would hardly prepare us for two opponents. We need a second Pokémon to team up with Rampardos." He glanced back at Riolu, who had stuck its head out from behind him. "I don't think your first battle should be a two on two." Riolu nodded and sat down next to Touma, but kept a wary eye on Kuroko.

"Don't look at me," Kuroko huffed. "First, I wouldn't want to battle onee-sana and, second, Abra isn't really for duels." She tossed out a pokeball and Abra appeared in a flash of red light. "But I think letting him watch your practice battle is a good idea. I assume that's why your other Pokémon are out." Touma nodded.

"Eevee, Magnemite," Mikoto said and tossed out her last two pokeballs. Both of her Pokémon appeared in a flash of red light. She then set her incubator with her egg down next to Misaki's. While she did this, Eevee bounded over to Charmeleon and greeted him. Charmeleon opened a single eye and nodded in acknowledgement. Sylveon, on the other hand, scowled. She actually let go of Charmeleon and hopped down next to Eevee.

"Sylv, Sylveon Sylveon, veon!"

"Eevee, vee Eev Eevee!" The argument was getting heated and Charmeleon sighed.

"Char, Charmeleon!" Sylveon and Eevee stopped arguing and looked ashamed. Charmeleon rolled over and went back to sleep. While the lovebirds were fighting, Magnemite flew over to Rampardos and landed on its head. Rampardos looked at it a second and flung it up into the air. Magnemite flew back down and Rampardos proceeded to ram it again back into the air. This process kept repeating and looked like Rampardos was playing with a ball. Pikachu, seeing that its trainers were still talking, walked over to Abra and sat down next to it.

"We could use one of mine I suppose," Mikoto said thoughtfully. "Magnemite has the most experience fighting without a trainer."

"It seems to be able to get along with Rampardos," Touma pointed out and the girls looked at the two Pokémon playing. No one could resist laughing, even Kuroko. "I suppose Magnemite would be our best-…"

"I can do it," Misaki volunteered suddenly.

"What?!" Mikoto asked in shock. "Have you even battled before?"

"Of course I have," Misaki replied indignantly. "We hold practice matches in school all the time, you know that. Sylveon is rather strong." Sylveon's ears perked up when it heard its name.

"Do you think Sylveon would be able to…?" Touma's voice trailed off and he gestured with his head toward Charmeleon.

"She would not be excited about the prospect," Misaki admitted. "But if it was to help him in the long run, she would give it her all."

"I suppose that should be fine then," Touma admitted.

"Hear that Sylveon?" Misaki called out. "We get to help our friends train."

"Sylveon!" Sylveon replied excitedly and bounded over to them. Charmeleon opened an eye and then sat up. It could tell the fight was about to begin and it had to be awake. Without much further discussion, Touma and Mikoto gathered on one side of the field with Pikachu and Charmeleon, while Misaki moved to the other side with Rampardos and Sylveon. Misaki turned to Sylveon.

"I know you like Charmeleon," Misaki whispered. "But we have to give it our all so he can improve." Sylveon nodded vigorously.

"Pikachu?" Mikoto asked. "Are you ready?"

"Pika!"

"Glad to hear it, let's show Shokuhou-san and Rampardos how strong you are."

"Charmeleon," Touma said. "Let's give it our all too." Charmeleon only gave him the stink eye and then yawned. "Great," he sighed. "I suppose that's the best I can hope for." Mikoto giggled.

 _Charmeleon is going to try. It's just like at his school._

"I guess I'll be the referee," Kuroko sighed. She was the only one not actively participating in the battle. All the other Pokémon were sitting together and were planning to watch. "Remember, this is training, so try to hold back a little." She glanced at Rampardos, who was bounding on its feet in anticipation. "Are both sides ready?" Misaki smiled and nodded, Touma nodded, but something occurred to Mikoto.

"Hang on," she said. "This is training, so we might not have to keep having a full battle. Kuroko, as the only one who can objectively observe, feel free to stop the battle if you notice a major issue. The sooner we identify our weaknesses, the sooner we can start fixing them. If we only go over our weaknesses after a tough fight, we won't be able to work on changing until everyone has rested up."

"That's smart," Touma complimented and Mikoto felt happier than she really should have.

"Excellent idea onee-sama," Kuroko agreed and scowled at Touma. "I don't have a lot of experience watching tag team battles, but I'll try to identify problem areas."

"That's all we ask," Mikoto told her and signaled she was ready. Kuroko nodded and held up her hand.

"Begin!" she yelled and brought her hand down.

 _Let's start off strong and show Shokuhou-san what a real Pokémon battle is like._ Mikoto, for some reason, really felt like showing off. "Pikachu!" Mikoto called out. "Electro Ball on Sylveon!"

"Flamethrower on Rampardos!" Touma told Charmeleon. While Pikachu jumped into the air and formed a ball of electricity at the base of its tail, Charmeleon opened its mouth and unleashed a cone of fire. Pikachu's Electro Ball flew through the air but, due to distance, Sylveon had plenty of time to dodge to the right. Rampardos, on the other hand, must have decided dodging was too much work. Instead, Rampardos lowered its head and plowed straight threw the Flamethrower. Fire was not very effective against rock, plus Rampardos had a very sturdy skull. Right before Rampardos collided with Charmeleon, Charmeleon stopped its flame and jumped to the side to avoid the Headbutt. "Good job, now keep avoiding and strike back with Dragon Claw!" Charmeleon's hands turned green as it dodged Rampardos again and tried to strike back when an opening appeared.

 _The way they fight,_ Mikoto thought as she watched Charmeleon and Rampardos. _It looks like they have practiced against each other a lot and this is a common occurrence._ Mikoto was distracted for only a moment, but it was enough for Misaki to take advantage of it.

"Disarming voice!" Sylveon opened its mouth and released a beam of purplish hearts in a loud shrieking voice. The hearts made direct contact with Pikachu and sent it flying backwards.

"Pikachu!" Mikoto shouted, while she mentally berated herself for losing focus. Pikachu landed on its feet and shook its head, but looked fine. Disarming Voice was a fast attack, but it wasn't the most powerful of moves. "Hit Sylveon with Quick Attack!" Pikachu bolted forward and a trail of white light was left behind it.

"Stop it with Swift!" Misaki called out and Mikoto was glad to hear a slight anxiety in her voice.

 _She's not used to the pressure of real battles, only our school ones._ While Tokiwadai wanted their students to act like the class battles were real, many of the girls came from upper class families. That meant the battles turned into more formal fights with neither side really wanting to be the aggressor. That was a big reason Mikoto started looking for challenges outside of her school. "Dodge and use Thunder Shock!" The barrage of whitish-yellow stars that flew from Sylveon's ribbons was too dense for a Quick Attack to get through, so Pikachu stopped and jumped backwards to allow the stars to collide harmlessly with the ground. Pikachu's cheeks started to spark up and a bolt of electricity fired from its body in a flash. Sylveon cried out and closed its eyes as it was struck by the direct electrical attack. "Great job Pikachu!"

"Sylveon!" Misaki gasped and Sylveon finally managed to move after the electricity subsided. "Please say you are okay!" Sylveon turned and nodded. "Phew," she sighed. "Counter with Disarm-…!" She was cut off as a torrent of flames flew between Pikachu and Sylveon, which caused them both to jump backwards to avoid the heat. Charmeleon then came flying through the air and landed on the ground hard. Its back legs sunk into the ground and it was forced to jab one of its arms into the ground to stabilize.

"Smokescreen while it's confused!" Touma yelled and Charmeleon swung its tail to engulf the area around Rampardos with thick black smoke from the flame on its tail. Mikoto again got distracted watching the fight, but Misaki didn't miss a beat.

"Sylveon," Misaki said seriously. "Draining Kiss." Sylveon bounded over to Charmeleon before Touma and Mikoto realized the danger. The battle with Rampardos had been much flashier. Charmeleon had just turned when Sylveon stopped right next to it. Sylveon leaned over and kissed Charmeleon gently on the cheek, and then leaped away. Charmeleon spun around on the spot and shook his head back and forth, but it looked slightly weaker. Sylveon, on the other hand, looked brand new, even after the blow it suffered from Pikachu. "Heh, Draining Kiss absorbs Sylveon's opponent's energy. Of course, she doesn't use it often and only on certain Pokémon." Misaki winked at Mikoto. Eevee in the background cried out in indignation.

 _Life draining skills,_ Mikoto thought. _Hurts your opponent's Pokémon and heals your own. They can change the battle in an instant._ She crossed her arms and kept her face passive. "You only bought yourself time!"

"Not bad Mi-chan!" Touma complimented. "You really improved!"Misaki beamed and Mikoto suddenly felt annoyed. Before she could speak up though, Rampardos came barreling out of the smokescreen. It looked around and saw Pikachu. Rampardos lowered its head and prepared to charge when someone else spoke up.

"Stop the battle!" Kuroko called out. All the Pokémon halted instantly and stared at her, along with their trainers. "I didn't think it would be so soon, but I saw several major flaws in your teamwork." Rampardos looked the most disappointed the fight was over already.

"Really?" Mikoto asked. "Already?"

"What where they?" Misaki asked, as she walked over to join them all.

"Have a seat," Kuroko ordered and gestured to the rocks. The other girls and Touma sat down while Kuroko stood in front of them. "It's mostly for onee-sama and the ape. I hope you don't mind Shokuhou-san."

"Nonsense," she replied and waved her hand dismissively. Mikoto noticed her eye twitched slightly when Kuroko called Touma an ape. "The point was to train those two, not me."

"What was wrong Shirai-san?" Touma asked. "The fight was pretty close."

"That's just it," Kuroko pointed out. "It shouldn't have been. You and onee-sama should have easily won. From what I heard, your Charmeleon beat Rampardos before and that's how you caught it. You should have been able to defeat him again. Onee-sama also has a lot more experience in battles than Shokuhou-san does. The fight should have been completely one-sided."

"I was winning against Sylveon," Mikoto protested and her Pikachu and Eevee nodded. Misaki and Sylveon scowled slightly.

"Yes," Kuroko admitted and the pain look on her face made Mikoto realize how much Kuroko really did not want to criticize her. "I don't like saying this," she sighed. "You would have won in a one on one match, like I said. However, the situation changed completely in a single moment." Mikoto raised an eyebrow. "Charmeleon and Rampardos gave her the opening."

"Ah," Misaki said and everyone turned to her. "Teamwork!"

"Huh?" Touma asked.

"Ape," Kuroko said exasperatedly. "You and Charmeleon were the reason she couldn't have a flawless victory." Touma still looked confused and Kuroko face palmed. "Do I have to spell it out? Charmeleon was forced near Sylveon and you gave her the opportunity to recover with Draining Kiss, all because you were too focused on your own opponent."

"Of course!" Mikoto gasped. "We were fighting like we normally do, but we normally fight one on one. We can team up on a single opponent."

"Exactly!" Kuroko agreed. "I knew you would understand." She scowled at Touma. "Shokuhou-san was the one who actually realized that first." Mikoto looked at Misaki, who nodded, but Mikoto was not fooled. Misaki had not been thinking that when she had Sylveon kiss Charmeleon. "We watched a couple tournaments in class and one of our teachers really enjoyed two on two battles. While it may look similar to normal battles, teamwork changes how the fights should be handled. Professional trainers usually have specific Pokémon they use for them, usually with a move like Helping Hands to increase their partner's power."

"You really know your stuff," Touma complimented her.

"Obviously I do," Kuroko huffed, but looked slightly mollified. "It's common knowledge. The question is, why didn't you know this?"

"If I might add something," Misaki said and they turned to her. "If Charmeleon had used Smokescreen earlier and then teamed up with Pikachu against Sylveon, you probably could have taken her out of the battle. Sylveon's defense isn't nearly has high as Rampardos' is."

 _They have good points,_ Mikoto had to admit to herself. She had confidence in her own skills, but she really didn't have much experience as a team. It was all new to her. Something suddenly occurred to her. "When we fought at your school," Mikoto told Touma. "We did the same thing. We tried to win one on one, but your classmates ganged up on us first. They started to pull ahead before Charmeleon saved Eevee and we were able to strike at them together." Touma rubbed his chin as he thought about it, but Kuroko nodded.

"Onee-sama showed us that video yesterday," Kuroko said. "I noticed it too."

"You're very perceptive," Misaki complimented.

"She wants to be a teacher at some point," Mikoto told her. "Or a police officer." The four of them began to put their heads together and started discussing what they noticed in Mikoto's and Touma's battle strategy, while also pointing out what they could have done differently. Pikachu was listening closely, but Charmeleon only seemed to be partially listening, as it laid on the grass with its head propped up on its arm. Rampardos went back to playing with Magnemite while Eevee started to chat with Rilou, who seemed to be okay with her. Misaki's Vulpix and Sylveon laid down next to her and waited patiently for their trainers to talk. _I'm actually surprised at how good she was. Sure, it was obvious Sylveon hasn't been involved in many battles, but Shokuhou-san's battle strategy was fine._ About fifteen minutes later, they broke apart back to their sides of the field to try out several new strategies.

"Let's do this right," Kuroko announced and everyone nodded. "Begin!"

Mikoto lost track of how many times they stopped and discussed their progress, but that was because she didn't care.

She had way too much fun.

* * *

"I have to go this way," Touma informed the girls when they entered the city. "Meeting some friends of mine."

"Okay," Mikoto said. _That's right, he doesn't normally hang out with us._ They had practice for several hours and she had temporarily forgotten that.

"Bye Touma-kun," Misaki beamed. "Have fun with your friends."

"About time," Kuroko huffed, which only got her scowled from Misaki and Mikoto. Touma didn't seem to hear, waved goodbye, and left down another street.

"Kuroko," Mikoto sighed. "Please be nicer to him. It's not like he has done anything to you to warrant that attitude." _Oh, I missed the opportunity to ask about where he found his Rampardos. It's too much of coincidence his knew Ice Beam and so did that one Saten-san and I encountered. Our practice was too intense and with Kuroko and Shokuhou-san there, it slipped my mind._

"He's done everything," Kuroko protested.

"Like?" Misaki asked, with a combination of amusement and curiosity. Mikoto believed the only reason Misaki wasn't upset was because Misaki knew what Kuroko was like, and she trusted Touma.

"He keeps trying to steal you away from me!" Kuroko cried out and grabbed Mikoto around the stomach. "He's cutting into our alone time!" Misaki had to cover her mouth with her hand to avoid laughing loudly.

"He's not stealing me away from anyone," Mikoto sighed and pried off Kuroko's iron grip. "You know we need to practice and you even came, which actually helped quite a bit." She added that last part to try to sooth Kuroko emotionally and, judging by the smile, it worked. "But," she added and Kuroko froze. "If you keep insulting him, it might be best you don't come when we practice."

"But what if he tries something?"

"Then I will handle it," Mikoto said firmly. _He wouldn't dare, not that I would mind… bad Mikoto._ "You know I can handle myself."

"We won't be able to spend as much time together then!" Kuroko gasped.

"We eat together, live in the same room, and go to the same school," Mikoto replied. "We are together a lot. If I have to practice for a couple hours every few days, it's not that big of a deal."

"But-…" Kuroko started to say again and, this time, it was Misaki who spoke up.

"Shirai-san," Misaki said calming, but a small smile was on her face. "I have something to tell you that might put your fears to ease." Kuroko and Mikoto turned to look at her before Misaki pulled Kuroko away from Mikoto. Misaki leaned over and whispered something into Kuroko's ear. Mikoto saw Kuroko's eye widened slightly and then blush. A frown formed on Mikoto's lips when she saw her reaction.

 _What is she telling her?_

"Okay," Misaki said and beamed sweetly at them as she pulled away from Kuroko. "It was fun, but I must be off. Many things to do and not enough hours in the day, plus I promised to show a couple of friends my egg." She gestured to the incubator in her arms. "Bye Shirai-san, Miiiissssaaakkkaa-saaan." Mikoto flinched slightly at how Misaki stretched out her name, so she distracted herself by looking at the egg she was carrying in her own incubator. Misaki finally left, which only made Mikoto happy, and then Kuroko turned to her.

"Our homework is done and we have a while before curfew," Kuroko said. "Was there anything you wanted to do today?"

"Whatever you want," Mikoto told her. _We can spend the evening together, as long as when we get back to the dorm she doesn't tries to hop into my bed. I lost track of how many times I have had Pikachu shock her for that._

"Yay!" Kuroko cheered and grabbed Mikoto's hand. She dragged her off and Mikoto could not resist smiling at the cheerful expression on her best friend's face. The rest of their time together passed without incident. They took the bus downtown and started to browse all the shops. Kuroko needed to pick up a few amenities, while Mikoto busied herself looking at the new Pokémon gear. She finally caved and bought herself a new green backpack, since the straps on her old one were wearing down. They stopped at a café and had a pleasant dinner while Mikoto listened to Kuroko complain about some of her classmates and how the teachers kept treating them like children. This was something Mikoto could relate too and they had an enjoyable time, especially on their teachers who kept saying experiences were the key to success, but would only teach them theory. Eventually, the sun began to set and they had to start making their way back to their dorms.

"Oh," Mikoto said and she suddenly remembered something she wanted to do today. "There's something I need to pick up real quick. Can you take my egg back to our dorm?"

"I can," Kuroko confirmed, but she raised an eyebrow. "I can go with you if you want. It's not a problem."

"It shouldn't take long," Mikoto replied quickly. "It's just holding this egg is getting tiring. I'm sure you also want to drop off your stuff in the dorm too." She gestured to the bag in Kuroko's hand. _There's no way I'm going to tell her I want to quickly read the new manga that came out yesterday before the store closes._ Mikoto was running through more excuses in her mind incase Kuroko didn't buy it.

"Okay," Kuroko finally agreed. "Don't be late. Our supervisor has been increasing room checks recently."

"I promise," Mikoto replied and they both shuddered at the thought of what would happen if their demon dorm supervisor found out they had missed curfew. They parted ways and Mikoto proceeded towards the bookstore. She was almost there, when she saw several people running past her in the direction of the park. Only a few partial sentences reached her ears.

"…if we all gang up we can win…"

"…knock him down a few pegs…"

"…the champion…"

 _Wonder what that was about,_ Mikoto thought. She looked at the bookstore to her right and then to the people dashing off into the distance. _Oh, what the hell. They can't be up to any good with talking about ganging up on someone._ Her curiosity got the better of her and she followed them. She kept her distance, but was easily able to keep up with them. All that exploring outside of the city kept her in shape. The guys were definitely heading toward the park and she heard the sound of a couple explosions and cries of Pokémon. _Sounds like a lot of people are battling. Could they actually be ganging up on someone?_ She rushed in the direction of the sound and stopped behind a tree. What she saw shocked her.

There were easily twenty people on one side of a field facing a single person. The few who just showed up moved behind the others.

Yet, everyone who had been there already were returning their Pokémon while the single individual's Pokémon looked completely unharmed. The single trainer's Pokémon had a sleek black body with four slender legs and crimson eyes. There were two pairs of pointed teeth visible when it opened its mouth, one in the upper jaw and one in the lower. The ears were long and pointed and had a bushy tail, each with a yellow band around them. Its forehead and legs had yellow rings on them. The yellow markings were glowing slightly. Mikoto held up her Pokedex.

"Umbreon, the Moonlight Pokémon, and an evolved form of Eevee. The rings of Umbreon's body glow faintly when exposed to the moon's aura, and it gains a mysterious power."

"I can't believe it," one guy yelled to the others. "Twenty on one and we couldn't even land a hit on it!"

"That's because you are all trash," the alone white-haired boy spoke up. The boy was wearing casual black and white striped shirt with a light black jacket opened up in the front and black pants. "Seriously, you recognized me and this is the best you could do? I fought you all at once to at least be challenged a microscopic amount." He leered at the group across from him. "Maybe you should all feel what your Pokémon just experienced?" Umbreon growled and stepped forward.

"He's a monster!" someone yelled and people began to flee. A couple of the larger people stood their ground, but the white-haired boy only leered at them and they eventually fled. The boy shook his head.

"I wanted some fresh air and a break from that uptight hag for an hour," the boy sighed and held up a pokeball. "Good job at taking out the trash." Umbreon looked at him and gave a small chirp in acknowledgement before it disappeared in a flash of red light back into the pokeball. Mikoto finally recognized him and she stepped out from behind the tree. The boy noticed her and scowled. "Great, another brat."

"Are you really the champion, Accelerator?" Mikoto asked in a voice of determined calm, but a vein was throbbing in her head. _How dare he call me a brat? He's only a couple years older than I am._

"Quit pretending you don't know me," Accelerator sneered. "You probably wanted to join the rest of those losers to hopefully have a chance to defeat me."

"Actually," Mikoto corrected him. "I heard a couple people saying they were planning to gang up on someone and I was going to try to stop them."

"Heh," Accelerator replied and then started laughing. "Oh that is great. A brat tried to be a hero and save a poor helpless trainer from being picked on." His amusement disappeared and he glared at Mikoto. "As you can see brat, no matter how many trash trainers face me, I won't lose."

"That is it!" Mikoto fumed. "I tried to be nice and you keep calling me a brat! I'm not going to take that from an egotistical jerk, no matter who you are!" _Pikachu's tired out from the training today and I have not had enough training with Magnemite yet, so that leaves Eevee. If he uses Umbreon though, this could be tough._ She grabbed the pokeball on her waist. "I challenge you and will make you apologize!"

"You, challenge me?" Accelerator burst out laughing again. "That is hilarious. I'll humor you though but, when I win, you have to admit you are a trash trainer like the rest of those losers." He pointed in the direction the others had fled. "Maybe I'll use my weakest Pokémon to give you a handicap."

"I don't need your charity!" Mikoto yelled back and threw her Pokeball. "Let's teach him a lesson Eevee!" Eevee appeared in a flash of red light and looked ready to battle.

"You expect to win with an Eevee?" Accelerator asked in a mixture of amusement and distain. "You really underestimate the real world, at least evolve it first." He threw a pokeball and a tall, blue, oval Pokémon Mikoto had never seen before appeared. Its eyes were scrunched like it was looking at a bright light, and it had a jagged upper lip. Its arms were flat and wider towards the tip. Four stubby legs were at the base of its body. There were also two eyespots on its black tail. Mikoto already had her Pokedex out.

"Wobbuffet, the Patient Pokémon. Wobbuffet like to live in dark areas so they can keep their pitch black tail concealed."

"A Patient Pokémon?" Mikoto asked in surprise. "You seem like the kind who only wants to be on offense."

"As I said," Accelerator pointed out with a sneer. "He's my weakest one."

"You are still looking down at us," Mikoto growled and Eevee looked upset too. "Eevee, start off with Swift!" Eevee twirled on the spot and sent a barrage of whitish-yellow stars at Wobbuffet. _Wobbuffet doesn't look like it can move quickly, so a fast attack should be able to hit._ Then she noticed how calm Accelerator was, but with a trace of amusement.

"Mirror Coat," he said calmly. A white reflective glow appeared around Wobbuffet's body. When Eevee's Swift attack made contact, the stars immediately reversed direction. A surprised Eevee could not react in time and was hit by its own attack.

"Eeveeee!" Eevee cried out as it was thrown backwards into the air.

"Stand up quick!" Mikoto called out and Eevee managed to land shakily to its feet. _I didn't think Eevee's Swift was that powerful and she was hit directly for a lot of damage._ "If special attacks won't work, Quick Attack!" Eevee flew forward leaving a trail of white light behind it. Accelerator only yawned.

"Counter," he said. Wobbuffet started to glow with an orange outline. Eevee's head made direct contact with Wobbuffet's body and then Eevee was immediately thrown backwards. Its cry of pain echoed across the field as Mikoto could only stare in shock while Accelerator laughed.

 _Physical and special moves aren't working,_ Mikoto thought in panic. _Eevee can't take another attack like that. It seems like when Wobbuffet reflects an attack, it's even stronger than the original._ _Head on attacks aren't working, so what if we hit it from behind._ "Eevee," Mikoto said and Eevee looked back at her. "Quick attack once more, but hit its blind spot." Eevee nodded and shot off toward Wobbuffet again.

"No matter how many times you repeat the same move," Accelerator told her condescendingly. "It will be the same outcome. Counter again."

"Now!" Mikoto yelled and Eevee made a quick turn to the right to avoid a direct hit. The orange glow faded from Wobbuffet while Eevee darted behind it. "Strike!" Mikoto raised a fist into the air, but Accelerator only raised an eyebrow.

"Counter." Eevee hit the back of Wobbuffet right when it started to glow orange again. Eevee could do nothing as it was thrown backwards form the force of its own attack being redirected at it. "You are thinking to narrowly," Accelerator told her superiorly. "Counter and Mirror Coat completely surround Wobbuffet's body and return your attacks at double the power. Striking from a blind spot doesn't exist." Mikoto's eye turned from him to Eevee and saw spirals in Eevee's eyes.

"Return," Mikoto said softly and held out her pokeball. A beam of red light shot out and brought Eevee back into it. "You fought well." she whispered softly.

"That's relative," Accelerator laughed and returned his Wobbuffet to its pokeball. "From my end, it was a useless endeavor." Mikoto narrowed her eyes at him. "Now, I believe you have your end of our bet to uphold."

"Tsk," Mikoto clicked her tongue angrily. _I made a bet, yes, but I hate him so much. He looks down on everyone._ Her pride was taking a serious hit. She was normally okay with losing, plenty of people were stronger than her, but to lose so one-sidedly against this arrogant jerk made her skin crawl. Touma had beaten her pretty easily too, but he was nice about it and Mikoto had been able to land a few blows. Accelerator was only using the battle to mock her, knowing he was much stronger than her. "I am-…" she started to say, while she closed her eyes and made fists with her hands.

"What's going on!?" a familiar voice called out interrupting her. Mikoto opened her eyes and saw Touma walking toward her and Accelerator. "I heard some people were ganging up on someone, but I didn't think it was the champion." His eyes fell on Mikoto and he looked surprised.

 _Not him,_ Mikoto thought in horror. She had been ready to say she was a terrible trainer in front of Accelerator, but it was mortifying to say it in front of Touma.

"This brat lost a battle," Accelerator said with a sneer. "As part of the bet with me, she had to admit she's a trash trainer." He laughed and Touma's eye widened. Touma turned to look at Mikoto, who could only divert her eyes. She didn't want him to see this. "Now," Accelerator continued. "It's time for this brat to admit how much of a loser she really-…"

"SHUT UP!" Touma roared suddenly.

"What did you say to me?!" Accelerator told him furiously. "Do you know who you are speaking to?"

"I don't care!" Touma yelled back. "I hate people who look down on others. She's also my friend, so I'm defiantly not going to let you degrade her!" Mikoto felt her heart beat wildly and she was finally able to look at him. "I'm going to knock some sense into you and then make you apologize to her!"

"I'm getting sick of all these losers thinking they are strong enough to face me," Accelerator growled. "I'm going to destroy you so badly, you will give up on trying to be a trainer and go live your life in shame." He grabbed the purple and white pokeball from his belt. "It's time for you to understand what it means to face me." He threw it and there was a flash of red light. A bipedal, humanoid Pokémon appeared. It was primarily gray with a long, purple tail. The tail was thick at the base, but thinned before ending into a small bulb. On top of its head were two short, blunt horns, and its eyes were purple. A tube extended from the back of its skull to the top of its spine, bypassing its neck. It had defined chest and shoulders, which resemble a breastplate. The three digits on each hand and foot had spherical tips. Mikoto shakily held up her Pokedex.

"Mewtwo, the Genetic Pokémon. A Pokémon created by recombining Mew's genes. It's said to have the most savage heart among Pokémon." Mikoto could only gasp. Mewtwo was why Accelerator was so famous. The Pokémon had never been seen before but he had managed to catch it. In the last tournament, Mewtwo had decimated entire teams all by itself. Mikoto could only glance at Touma, who had a fierce expression on his face. She opened her mouth to say he didn't have to fight, but she couldn't form the words. Touma reached down and grabbed his own pokeball.

"I didn't want to do this," Touma sighed. "But you're my only Pokémon capable of fighting him." He threw the ball and a flash of red light appeared. Mikoto gasped at what she saw emerge. It was not one of the three Pokémon she knew Touma had.

It was the most dangerous of all Pokémon.

Not only that, to make the situation even stranger, it was a different color.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **It's time to finally see who Touma's final Pokémon is. Who's that Pokémon? Same rules apply as last time. One point for guessing the type, and five points for the specific Pokémon. Keep track of your own scores.**

 **Vulpix: Sylveon, why does our trainer dislike Pikachu's trainer?**

 **Sylveon: It's not so much dislike, they are only rivals.**

 **Vulpix: Oh, like you and Eevee?**

 **Sylveon: We are not rivals!  
Eevee: Sylveon's just a jerk!**

 **Pikachu: Do I have to hear this again? Eevee, you always complain about Sylveon. Hey, Charmeleon, why don't you end this squabble?**

 **Charmeleon: Seems like too much work, tell them to solve their own problems.**

 **Rampardos: We could have a one on one tournament and the winner is right!**

 **Pikachu: Would you be entering it?**

 **Rampardos: Of course!**

 **Vulpix: Why?**

 **Rampardos: To prove Headbutt is always the right move!**

 **All other Pokémon: …**

 **Charmeleon: Now you know why I am always tired.**


	9. What Makes A Champ?

**So the time has finally come. We will see Touma's final Pokémon. From what I saw in the comments, Rayquaza and Giratina seem to be the most popular guesses for it. Sadly, it's neither because it's way too early to give any of the primary characters awesome Pokémon like that. Gyarados was another popular choice, but I don't think it could beat Mewtwo. Mewtwo took a lot of planning too. If you look at the TV show, the comics, and the actually games, there is so much variety. I debated the Spoon from the comic, but decided that felt like it was the least Pokémon kind of moon. I did take some liberties since Mewtwo is supposed to be incredibly powerful. Anyway, let's move on to the comments so we can get to the story to see the first Ultimate Battle.**

 **Formboy1: Thought about it, Golden Magikarp might be too powerful for Touma. Ugh, Golden Freiza. That was a low point for DBZ.**

 **Agent Nine: A no named trainer beating a world champ? Don't see that happening.**

 **Brosephg: Pokémon has a lot of combat. What did you expect? Kuroko always starts shallow unless she's the main character. We don't get to see all her interactions, so it takes time.**

 **WiliamZ0: Not sure when Charmeleon will finally evolve. Charzard is one of my favorite Pokémon. You put in some thought to Touma's final Pokémon, but I can tell you it is definitely not Deoxys. That is reserved for someone else.** **Yveltal, well, that's a good villain Pokémon so I don't want to use it up so soon.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: You chose the most random Pokémon compared to everyone else. Good Job.**

 **Salishious: WHAT?! How did you know!? Mewtwo was eventually going to become exhausted attacking the invincible Metapod. Tying some of the Pokémon to characters I can see, some are a bitch of a stretch. Rampardos and Sogiita, I agree completely. Darkrai belongs to someone else, but that wasn't a bad guess.**

 **Acpeters: Just Kuroko being Kuroko. Sylveon wanted to do that for a while, so Misaki made sure she could. A dark/dragon-type isn't a horrible guess, but everyone seems to want him to have a dragon type so early on.**

 **vietnamese guy: Black Rayquaza is pretty sweet. Touma definitely needs to get one. I can't find too much fault with your reasoning. Because of the thing in his hand in the normal Index series, people are gravitating toward Dragon-types. You have to remember what kind of person Touma is normally though. Golden Magikarp has to be the sixth Pokémon, not the fourth lol.  
**

 **Q-Guest: Hah, Shadow Lugia, I actually debated that, but decided I didn't want any of the main people besides Accelerator to have a legendary yet. That would be hilarious for Touma to use Arceus right after Mikoto sees it in the past. Mew is definitely my favorite Pokémon, but it is definitely not dangerous.**

 **G119: Cliffhangers keep me entertained in the comments.**

 **The Coke-aholic: Decent guess.**

 **Liuen: You also thought about this pretty thoroughly. I like how you noticed how each trainer got Pokémon related to them. The issue is the IB. If it comes out too early, it loses impact, same with dragon types. We need something normal that would shock people, rather than a pseudolegendary. Giratina is the only dragon/ghost Pokémon.**

 **FrodoFighter: I already told you how much I love your comments and they make me laugh. 'God is my bro now.' Mikoto definitely needs to capitalize on that. Team training always sucks at first. Everyone is used to fighting their own way. You and your perverted delusions. I should continuing making hints at that to encourage you. Cliffhanger, the most dangerous of all Pokémon. It is able to make people flip the table in anger and cuss when no one is around. Well legendries can be shiny, like orange Zapdos. Heh, Electrode, that would be a stretch. Gardevoir huh, Misaki hasn't caught that yet. Absol was a contender for a while, and it's a dark-type.**

 **Cyber dragon: As an author, I have to have fun too. This story could go on a bit. It depends on how much time I have.**

 **Newbie: Someone else mentioned that once, but it goes together pretty well with a few tweaks. I see you are a big fan of Rayquaza and Giratina. I should definitely bring one of those in at some point. I actually have another crossover in the works. Just finished some of the technical aspects with a friend of mine and will start it soon.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or Pokémon. I wish I did so I could retire rich.**

* * *

Accelerator and Mikoto stared at Touma's Pokémon in stunned silence.

Then Accelerator burst out laughing.

"You had me going there for a moment!" he shouted between laughs. "I actually thought you might have had something surprising! Thanks for that. I needed some entertainment today."

 _It's too soon to say that,_ Mikoto thought. _But I understand where he is coming from. Kamijou never said he had that Pokémon, so maybe it's a new one? Why would he use that instead of Chameleon or Rampardos?_ She stared at the free-form blob with vestigial facial features. It also appears to have two vestigial, handless 'arms' protruding from its body. Normally, this Pokémon was a light purple, but Touma's was a nice sky blue. Mikoto knew what the Pokémon was, but she held up her Pokedex anyways.

"Ditto, the Transform Pokémon. Ditto has the ability to reconstruct its entire cellular structure into whatever it sees. When it sleeps, it changes into a stone to avoid being attacked."

Mikoto was definitely surprised at Touma's choice, but she understood why Accelerator was laughing. Ditto was not technically weak. It could transform into an opponent's Pokémon and copy not only their shape and moves, but also their strengths. This actually was a pretty smart idea by Touma. Mewtwo was one of the world's most powerful Pokémon. A normal Pokémon would never stand a chance. By having Ditto transform into Mewtwo, Touma chipped away the natural difference in strength between them. This might make an inexperience trainer think Dittos were powerful, but transforming had a huge drawback.

Adaption.

Trainers usually worked hard in order to form bonds with the Pokémon and learn how to use all their abilities effectively. Ditto's transformation was essentially having its trainer use a brand new Pokémon. While Ditto still had the bond with its trainer, the way to maximize the use of its abilities and fighting style would be completely different depending on what it transformed into. The original Pokémon and its trainer would have the advantage of being used to fighting with their current abilities. Touma solved one problem by choosing Ditto, but now the battle relied on how fast he could learn to fight with a Mewtwo and how fast Ditto could get used to its new body.

"I wouldn't underestimate us," Touma told Accelerator. "Ditto is pretty strong."

"Did you think you were the first to try this?" Accelerator snapped back, no longer amused. "There have been so many people challenging me and I can remember two using Dittos. They lost in three moves." Mewtwo shook its head in disappointment too. "Seriously, why couldn't you have something challenging to make this worth my time?"

"Well then," Touma replied. "I'm going to show you what it's like to eat your words." He narrowed his eyes. "And have you apologize to Misaka." Mikoto's heart started to beat faster.

 _He's fighting for me._

"Ditto!" Ditto seem to agree and started glowing with a bright white light. The blue blob grew larger and taller over the span of a few seconds. The light faded and in its place stood an exact replica of Mewtwo. The way it held itself, the tail moving back and forth slightly, and even the expression of disdain was indistinguishable from the original. It was like a mirror had been held up. Accelerator's eyes narrowed.

"The weak always mimic the strong," He spat out and raised a hand. "Crush him. Use Psychic." Mewtwo held out a hand and its eyes, along with its body, began to glow blue.

"Counter it with your own!" Touma ordered instantly. Ditto held out its hand and glowed the exact same color. Neither of them seemed to be affected by the attacks, but a loud pop followed by a boom went off right in between them. The air had been blown away while the ground sunk a foot as the two invisible forces collided with each other. While this occurred, Touma had pulled out his Pokedex and began scrolling frantically.

"Quick reaction speed," Accelerator muttered. _Not horrible, but mimicking moves are what an amateur would do._ "Forward and Shadow Ball!" A dark sphere of energy formed in Mewtwo's hand. Its knees bent slightly and then suddenly propelled itself forward.

"Dodge!" Touma yelled. "Don't worry about offense right now!" Ditto rocketed off to the left with similar motions. The dark sphere flew from Mewtwo's hand directly at Ditto, but Ditto managed to lean and avoid the attack by less than an inch. Its eyes never left Mewtwo, as if it was analyzing its opponent. While his Pokémon was avoiding attacks, Touma's eyes began again to scan something on his Pokedex.

"I'm getting sick of your lack of focus," Accelerator stated irritably. "Press the attack. He can't dodge forever." A dark sphere appeared in each of Mewtwo's hand as it charged Ditto. Mikoto was beginning to see how Mewtwo earned its reputation. Usually, Psychic was more than enough to crush opponents under its power but, since Ditto could easily mimic the attack, Accelerator had to resort to other methods, which were impressive in its own right. Mewtwo could move at high speeds, turn almost instantly, and jump incredibly high. It also knew Shadow Ball, a ghost-type move that was super effective against psychic types, which Ditto now was. Unlike with her Eevee, Mewtwo seemed to be able to hold onto the Shadow Ball as long as it needed. This allowed it to attack close range and at a distance.

 _It's so aggressive,_ Mikoto thought as she watched Mewtwo and Ditto dart around the area. An occasional explosion went off as a Shadow Ball hit the ground and threw up dust and dirt. _Why isn't Kamijou having Ditto attack? All they are doing is dodging. Can they not find an opening? They are just going to eventually get worn down by the-…_ Mikoto's eyes widened. _Ditto hasn't been hit once!_ She only now realized this. _By only focusing on dodging, it doesn't show openings._ Her eyes kept darting back and forth, but eventually Mewtwo managed to land a hit. Ditto cried out and flew backwards near Touma, but it managed to stay on its feet. Mikoto turned to look at Touma, who was still on his Pokedex. _Come on you idiot! Why are you not focusing on the fight!? Ditto is getting hurt because of you!_ Touma finally looked up and Mikoto was shocked to see a small grin on his face.

"Have you gotten used to moving yet?" Touma asked. Ditto turned its head and the angry expression on its face softened. Then a small grin appeared as it nodded. "Great, I'm done too." Mikoto's eyes widened.

 _They were only delaying time to get Ditto used to Mewtwo's body?!_

"I don't think I ever met anyone as crazy as you," Accelerator spoke up. "To actually be willing to risk being hit just to learn how to dodge in the middle of an actually battle, that's stupid."

"More than dodge," Touma replied with a smirk. "Ditto never copied Mewtwo before, so it needed to learn how fast it could move for offense too. Plus," he held up his Pokedex. "I needed to do some research on what moves Mewtwo knew. Ditto, Calm Mind!" Ditto took both of its hands and put them together in front of its chest in the form of a triangle. A faint purple glow covered its body for a moment as it channeled its power. Calm Mind raised the Special Attack and Special Defense of Ditto. Since Mewtwo didn't look like it used physical attacks, this was sure to give Ditto the advantage in power, but Mikoto was actually focusing on something else.

 _He used his Pokedex to actually check moves,_ Mikoto thought with pride. _He remembered what I told him in our first battle against each other._ Mikoto felt happiness well up within her because the fact she had taught Touma something made it feel that the apprenticeship program was actually working. They would both learn from each other to grow stronger.

"You used your Pokedex to learn Mewtwo's moves," Accelerator stated in disbelief. "Tournaments normally don't allow people to use them, so that was… unexpected." Then Accelerator grinned, but it was the crazy sort of grin that made him look slightly insane. "You're interesting! Mewtwo, crush them with Shadow Ball!" Obviously Accelerator liked to be on the attack, so he wasn't having Mewtwo increase its own stats. Mewtwo charged forward with a dark sphere in each hand while leaving a small dust cloud from where it launched from.

"You too!" Touma called out. Ditto mimicked Mewtwo's move and the two forces collided as each Shadow Ball collided with another one. Both of the Pokémon were engulfed by the dark energy and blown backwards. Both of them landed on their feet, but Mikoto saw Mewtwo had been blown back slightly further. The effects of Calm Mind were noticeably active. "Keep it up Ditto, Aura Sphere!" Aura Sphere was a fighting type attack, so it wasn't super effective against Mewtwo, but it was faster than Shadow Ball. Ditto held out its hand and a large blue sphere appeared this time. Ditto pulled its arm back and threw the orb at Mewtwo. It flew through the air, but Accelerator was already reacting.

"Crush it with Psychic!" The smoke cleared around Mewtwo as it held out a hand. The Aura Sphere stopped in midair a couple feet away from its target. With a flick of Mewtwo's wrist, the sphere flew to the side away from everything and crashed into the ground. "Good," Accelerator commented. "Now show that cheap knockoff what Psychic is capable of!" The blue energy around Mewtwo grew brighter and caused the air to shimmer. A semitransparent dome of energy surrounded Mewtwo as it began to levitate a few inches off the ground. Touma and Mikoto stared in shock as Mewtwo suddenly rocketed forward.

'Dodge Ditto!" Touma yelled, but it was too late to avoid the surprise attack. The shield collided with Ditto. Ditto cried out in pain as it was blown backwards. It landed on the ground while still moving backwards. Ditto was forced to slam a hand on the ground to slow itself down. When Ditto finally stopped, it stood up and began to dust itself off. "Are you okay?" Ditto turned and looked at Touma, before making a dismissive gesture with its hand. "That's good. I was worried there for a moment." Ditto turned away, but Mikoto saw a smirk on its face.

It was then Mikoto saw the main difference between the two Pokémon. Mewtwo had an expression of irritation and anger permanently plastered on its face, much like its trainer. She remembered what her Pokedex said about it having a savage heart. _It probably doesn't help to have someone like that jerk as a trainer._ Her eyes fell on Accelerator, who now had a smug expression after blowing away Ditto. _At least he has some other emotions, even if his sense of humor is warped._ Her eyes then fell onto Ditto. While it was a perfect copy of Mewtwo, she was surprised how different the facial expression had become. Ditto's eyes were softer and it actually smiled, even after being hit. The fact Touma cared about his Pokémon was not lost on Ditto. They shared a bond that was evident in the way Ditto reacted. The bond Mikoto wanted with all her Pokémon.

It was the same thing she first saw with Ramaprdos.

"I'm not sure what we can do about that shield," Touma said to Ditto. "Think you can copy it with your own Psychic?" Ditto frowned for a second, before it finally nodded. It took a step forward and its body began to glow blue, slowly getting brighter and brighter.

"Are you actually trying to copy this!?" Accelerator yelled at Touma. "The last few Dittos couldn't because it wasn't a move, but an application. How strong is that Ditto anyways?!"

"I'm not sure myself," Touma laughed and rubbed the back of his head, but then his face turned serious. "Ditto's my trump card though and hates people who looks down on others, just like me."

"Mewtwo," Accelerator ordered. "Destroy it before it can learn." Mewtwo blasted forward, its shield still solidly around it. Ditto held out its hand as all the psychic energy began to surround it. Ditto was not fast enough, because of lack of experience, to get the shield up in time. Ditto was forced to improvise when Mewtwo closed in. Instead of trying to form a complete barrier, Ditto forced all the psychic power right in front of itself. Mewtwo's shield crashed against the invisible wall of force.

A shockwave erupted as the two forces collided. Mikoto could feel the wind from her position. The ground beneath the two Pokémon collapsed about a foot from their power. Mikoto could only gape at the sight. Mewtwo had been stopped after pushing back Ditto several feet. Ripples appeared on the shield originating from the spot directly in front of Ditto's hands. Both Pokémon had a look of concentration on their faces.

"How could you let a damn copy stop you!?" Accelerator yelled.

"Push it back!" Touma cheered.

Ditto seemed to be inspired more by its trainer's words. As both sides continued pushing, a semitransparent blue shield began to form at the point of impact. It moved slowly like water around Ditto as the entire dome began to form. Ditto grinned as the shield completely surrounded it and then the two broke apart with a small explosion. Mewtwo and Ditto rose up into the air, neither taking their eyes off each other.

"Crush that pest!" roared Accelerator.

"Give it everything you got!" Touma called up to Ditto.

The two blue shields floated away from each other, before suddenly rushing towards the other. When they made contact there was a loud boom as a shockwave was created along with a flash of blue light. Mikoto was forced to squint as she watched and her hair moved when the air reached them. The force also separated Mewtwo and Ditto, but neither one of them was giving up. They kept colliding in midair before being forced apart from the shockwaves. The booms echoed across the entire area as the two Pokémon kept repeating their actions, their trainers only watching in silence. There wasn't any guarantee their words would reach their Pokémon.

The fight couldn't last forever. The strain of concentration to maintain the shield along with giving and receiving attacks would eventually wear them out. Mikoto flinched at an extra loud explosion and watched the shields shatter. The fight had caused both Pokémon to rise high above everyone and now they began to descend. Accelerator was the first to react though.

"Use Aura Sphere!" A blue orb instantly formed in Mewtwo's hand and it threw the orb at Ditto. Because they were falling, most likely due to exhaustion, Ditto was unable to dodge and the attack made direct contact. Ditto was engulfed by an explosion, which caused Accelerator to grin. Touma didn't give up though.

"Shadow Ball!" Touma yelled. Out of the explosion Ditto emerged with a black orb in its outstretched hand, as it flew down towards Mewtwo.

"Aura Sphere again!" Accelerator roared. Mewtwo threw another blue orb at Ditto. Ditto didn't, or couldn't dodge the strike and was hit again. The pain on its face was evident as the two Pokémon neared the ground, but it also had a look of determination. Ignoring the damage, Ditto brought its hand with the Shadow Ball back and then thrust it forward into Mewtwo's chest a second before they hit the ground. Dust and dirt was thrown up into the air, as the two Pokémon smashed into the ground while the Shadow Ball went off. Shadows behind the dust cloud moved and then a gust of wind revealed the two Pokémon. Both were on their feet, less than fifteen feet apart, but barely standing. The damage both of them received was enormous and it was a miracle they were even up.

 _Is this even a battle anymore?_ Mikoto thought desperately. Both Pokémon were in no condition to continue fighting much longer. They were bruised and battered, but their faces were why Mikoto couldn't speak up. Mewtwo's angry eyes were focused on only Ditto, while Ditto's eyes rang out with determination. Mikoto knew they would not tolerate her interference. It would be an insult to both of them who fought so hard. All Mikoto could do was clasped her shaking hands together and watch. Touma and Accelerator caught each other's eyes. Fury was etched in one, as the champion was struggling with a no named trainer, and in the other was only the desire to stand up for his friend. Simultaneously, they stuck their hand out and together said the same single word.

"Psystrike!"

 _Wait?!_ Mikoto thought in shock. _That's five moves! How could Mewtwo learn five at once?_ Her question was never answered. Mewtwo and Ditto raised their arms out to their sides and a white force field, similar to the blue dome, formed around each of them. The fields began to expand rapidly and they touched each other at the halfway point between them. Mikoto was instantly blinded by the pure white light erupting from their attacks. She shielded her eyes with her arm and desperately trying to see what happened. Mikoto was determined to watch to the end, no matter which ending it was. The light faded and she was forced to blink many times before the blurry shapes became clear. Her mouth fell open in shock.

Mewtwo and Ditto were both lying on the ground, unable to move. Ditto glowed with white light again and transformed back into its original blue blob form.

"Ditto!" Touma cried out in worry and ran to its side. He picked it up and Ditto said something weakly. "You did great. I got a potion in my bag."

"Return," Accelerator fumed and held out a pokeball. Mewtwo disappeared in a flash of red light. "So," he spat out. "A draw."

"Looks like it," Touma agreed, but didn't look at him. He was rummaging around in his bag.

"I'm not going to apologize," Accelerator added as an afterthought, which made Touma narrow his eyes and actually turn toward him.

"You-…!" Touma fumed.

"We will settle this other day," Accelerator snapped and turned away. "I have to get going anyway or she's going to kill me for sneaking out." He stopped and glanced out of the corner of his eye at Mikoto, who had run to Touma's side. "Girl," he added while reaching into his pocket. "Get your Eevee to evolve so you don't have to have you boyfriend defend you." He tossed a couple small items to her. "Only have these two on me."

"He's not my boy-…!" Mikoto started to shout, but caught what he threw at her by reflex. When she saw what they were, her words got caught in her throat. They were stones.

Specifically, a Fire Stone and a Thunder Stone.

"Hey," Accelerator called out to Touma. "What's your name?"

"Touma Kamijou."

"I'm going to remember you," Accelerator told him with a glare and then walked off after that announcement. He grabbed a cab to his hotel and tried to sneak in without being noticed.

"There you are!"

"Shit," he muttered and turned around. His manager, a woman in her mid-twenties with black hair tied up in a bun and glasses, approached him with an angry look on her face.

"I know I told you not to go off and cause trouble," she reprimanded him. "There were all these reports of the champion bulling local residents."

"Hah," Accelerator laughed. "Yeah, right. I was minding my own business when someone recognized me. Next thing I knew, dozens of losers swarmed me. I had to teach them a lesson about the difference in strength."

"That's the problem!" his manager fumed and slammed her hand on the wall. "It's going to be a PR nightmare. I hope you enjoyed wasting your time."

"It wasn't a waste," Accelerator replied and unlocked the door to his room.

"Huh?"

"I found a no named trainer who managed to fight Mewtwo to a draw," Accelerator replied. "I have to correct my mistakes and then find that guy. I'm going to make him regret facing me." He slammed the door in his manager's face, who could only stand there stunned.

* * *

"That could have gone better," Touma sighed as he watched Accelerator storm off. He grabbed a potion and sprayed it over Ditto, who began to look better. "I think those stones were his way of apologizing. Sorry I couldn't…" His voice trailed off when he looked up and saw Mikoto's face. "What's wrong?"

"Eck!" Mikoto suddenly snapped back to reality. She had still been flustered by Accelerator's 'boyfriend' remark about Touma. The two stones were clutched tightly in her hand. "I didn't ask for your help!" she suddenly said, almost shouting.

"Huh?" Touma looked confused.

"Idiot!" Mikoto continued to scold him loudly. She wasn't even sure why she was yelling at him. She really just wanted to thank him. "I was the one foolish enough to challenge the champion to a battle just because he called me a brat. Then I agreed to his term to admit I was a bad trainer…"

"But you're not."

"…When you showed up and fought my battle for me," Mikoto continued as if Touma had not interrupted. "It made me feel weak, but…" She suddenly sniffed and rubbed her eyes as the tears began to form.

"Are you okay?" Touma asked.

"Thank you," Mikoto finally said. "For standing up for me and fighting so hard."

"It was not a big deal." Touma dismissed her gratitude. "You're my friend, but I would have done it for anyone."

"Idiot," Mikoto said again. _Read the mood._ "It was still stupid on your part to butt in."

"Heh," Touma chuckled. "If you were stupid for making a bet with him and I was stupid for butting in, maybe we were made to be stupid together."

 _EHHHHH!_ Mikoto's face flushed and steam flew out of her ears. _He doesn't mean it like that!_ She punished him in the shoulder to steady her nerves before speaking. "Idiot!" She punched him again. "Idiot!" another punch, "idiot!"

"Ouch, okay!" Touma conceded. "I'm an idiot! Please stop hitting me!" Mikoto couldn't help herself and burst out laughing. Touma looked at her and then started laughing too. They continued for a minute or so before they finally calmed down. "Forgive me for butting in then?"

"I can't really be mad at you for being willing to help me," Mikoto answered. _Especially since you only did it because I needed help and didn't expect anything in return._ She sat down across from Touma and Ditto. "So, when did you catch Ditto? You didn't release it during our training earlier today."

"Well," Touma replied hesitantly. He scratched his cheek with a finger. "There are reasons… none I really want to say…" His voice trailed off and Ditto looked up at him, before leaping out of his lap and sliding over to Mikoto.

"Aren't you cute," Mikoto squealed slightly and picked it up. She hugged it for a moment before setting Ditto back down. "Thanks for fighting for me."

"Ditto!" Ditto replied happily and then started glowing white. Mikoto's eyes widened as the glowing form began to grow. The light faded and before her stood an exact replica of herself. The short brown hair, the black shirt, shorts, and brown eyes, it was like looking in a mirror. Ditto stood up and kept looking at its body while it spun around slightly. Mikoto stood up too and leaned forward to inspect Ditto closer.

"This is so weird," Mikoto murmured. Seeing an exact copy of herself was probably the weirdest thing to happen to her and she lived in a world of creatures capable of shooting elements, moving at extreme speeds, and strong enough to create the world. "Why would you transform into me?" Ditto looked at her directly in the eyes and winked. Before Mikoto could respond, Ditto turned and walked over to Touma, who was still sitting on the ground. Mikoto should have realized something was wrong when Touma's face began to pale. _Why does he look afraid?_ Ditto knelt down next to Touma and Mikoto's eyes widened.

Ditto bent over and kissed Touma on the cheek.

"Don't do this!" Touma pleaded with Ditto, as he tried to grab the pokeball on his hip. Ditto realized what he was doing and grabbed his arm while trying to lean in for a more intimate embrace. They continued to struggle while Mikoto could only stare at herself trying to kiss Touma. She finally snapped back to her senses. Her face flushed in anger this time and she made a fist while a vein throbbed in her temple.

"You…PERVERT!" she cried and delivered a powerful punch into the side of Touma's face. It sent him flying backwards while Ditto fell off him onto the ground. Touma quickly pulled out the pokeball and returned Ditto before it could do anymore harm. He looked up at a furious Mikoto standing over him and he covered his head.

"It's not what it looks like!" he yelled. "It's why I don't let Ditto out around others!"

"Explain," Mikoto said coldly looking down at him. Touma was on his knees as he hastily explained.

"I caught Ditto shortly after Rampardos," Touma told her. "It was being bullied by a group of Mightyenas and for some reason it was not transforming to protect itself. Rampardos and I chased them away and then I gave Ditto some food and a potion to heal its wounds. I guess it wanted to stay with me because it grabbed one of my pokeballs and captured itself. I didn't think much of it because Ditto worked really well when fighting wild Pokémon. It could adapt to new forms quickly and we worked well as a team." He sighed. "Then I found out what happens when Ditto encounters trainers."

"It transforms into them," Mikoto guessed sarcastically.

"Exactly," Touma continued. "Though, Ditto only seems to prefer female trainers. Once the battle is over, it will transform into them and then get… handsy."

"That's saying it mildly."

"I've been trying to break it of the habit, but nothing I do or say gets it to stop."

 _I bet it fell for you when you saved it,_ Mikoto thought. She felt bad for hitting him now and she knew what she had to do. "Sorry for overreacting," she told him softly. "It's just, I saw myself, and it just got really weird. I thought for a moment you might have had a…weird hobby."

"No, no, no," Touma denied quickly and waved his hands in front of himself. "You aren't the first girl to hit me because of Ditto. I understand completely what you thought." He sighed and looked depressed. Mikoto couldn't help herself and giggled at how he looked.

 _He's like a puppy that peed on the rug and is expecting to be scolded,_ she thought to herself and smiled. "I forgive you," she said. "I haven't known you for that long, but I realize you wouldn't do something like that." She held out a hand to help him to his feet.

"Thanks Misaka," Touma replied and accepted her hand. "I'm not even sure why Ditto is so attracted to me. They don't even have genders. But whenever it sees a cute girl, it transforms into them and tries to…" His voice died away when he realized what he said and turned to look at Mikoto, whose face had turned crimson. "Well, it's late and I should be going before I shove my foot further into my mouth. I'll talk to you later Misaka." He ran off before she could say anything.

 _He thinks I'm cute?_ Misaka thought to herself as she watched him go. Her face still burned in embarrassment, but she smiled to herself. She put the two stones she received from Accelerator into her backpack and started to walk home. Even though she lost to a very rude boy and Touma only tied with him, she was in a great mood. Today had turned out even more exciting than she had anticipated.

* * *

 _Should I really do this?_

Mikoto was in her room and sitting at a table staring at the Thunder Stone. She could hear Kuroko in the shower, but it would still be a little bit before she got out. Pikachu was standing on the table across from her while Eevee was sitting on another chair, eyes drooping sleepily. Magnemite was sitting next to Mikoto's alarm clock. For some reason, it really likes to sleep next to it and Mikoto had more than once hit the top of Magnemite instead of the alarm, which actually woke her up better when she found herself being shocked. Turning her attention back to the stone in her hand, she continued to think about what to do with this.

 _Should I actually evolve Eevee? I never asked her want she wanted to evolve into, or even if she wants to evolve. Pikachu and I have been together the longest, so evolving her might be better._ Her eyes fell on Pikachu, who tilted its head in response. _Arg,_ Mikoto rubbed the sides of her temple after setting the stone down. _This shouldn't be so tough. The only reason this is was because I didn't expect that guy to actually give me the stone. No one would have expected that jerk to do so. Kamijou said it was because of an apology, but why couldn't that jerk just say it instead?_ Her eyes narrowed in thought. _After his fight with Kamijou, he seemed to be… less aggressive? They almost seemed to be getting along. Are boys so simple they become friends after a fight?_

"Pika?" Pikachu asked when it noticed Mikoto staring at it.

"Oh sorry," Mikoto apologized and shook her head. "Pikachu, I recently received this Thunder Stone that would let you evolve, but I don't want to force you if you want to stay how you are." Both Mikoto and Pikachu had seen the power of a Raichu, Pikachu's evolve form. Pikachu titled its head once more and looked hesitant, which was all the response Mikoto needed. "I won't force you, so I'm going to put it away-…" She started to reach for the stone as she talked, when a blur jumped in front of her. Her head turned and followed the movement, only to see Eevee with the stone held tightly in its mouth.

"Eevee!" Eevee exclaimed excitedly, but slightly muffled.

"Wait!" Mikoto cried and reached a hand out, but it was too late.

Eevee started to glow with a bright light and its form grew slightly larger. When the light faded away, a different quadruped, mammalian Pokémon replaced Eevee. It was covered in yellow fur with a spiky fringe around its tail and a white ruff around its neck. The fur seemed to move occasionally on its own. Its ears were large and pointed, and its eyes and small nose were black. The slender legs had small paws, each with three toes and a pink paw pad. Mikoto grabbed her Pokedex instinctively, even though she knew what Pokémon that was.

"Jolteon, the Lightning Pokémon. Jolteon's cells generate a low level of electricity. This power is amplified by the static electricity of its fur, enabling the Pokémon to drop thunderbolts. The bristling fur is made of electrically charged needles."

"Why?" Mikoto could only ask.

"Jolt Jolteon!" Jolteon barked out happily and jumped into her lap. "Jolteon!"

"Did… did you grab that stone so you would evolve into an electric type for me?" Mikoto asked, her words choked slightly in her throat. Jolteon nodded and rubbed its head into her chest passionately. "You…" Mikoto said at first, unable to find the words at first. She had to take a deep breath. "Are so silly. I would accept you the way you are and anything you wanted to be." Her eyes started watering. "I love you so much!" She hugged Jolteon tightly, ignoring the slightly uncomfortable feeling of needles poking her arms. Pikachu also seemed to want some attention and jumped into Mikoto's lap, while Magnemite rose up and orbited around Mikoto's head. Mikoto wiped the water from her eyes and laughed. "I love all of you." She heard a click and turned around.

"This is a great shot," Kuroko said and grinned at Mikoto. She had just gotten out of the shower and had grabbed her camera. She glanced over at her bed, where Abra was sleeping peacefully while sitting up. "When did you get the Thunder Stone? Was that why you were late?"

"Sort of," Mikoto replied. "It was kind of an accident I acquired it." She set down Jolteon and Pikachu back on the table.

"Shower is free," Kuroko continued. "I'm sure you don't want to sleep covered in sweat and dirt."

"You are definitely right about that," agreed Mikoto. She stood up and made her way to the bathroom, when she stopped. "Hey Kuroko, I have a serious question for you."

"What is it onee-sama?"

"Hypothetically," Mikoto said and then realized she wanted to stress the point. "And PURELY hypothetically, if I wanted to see someone-…"

"WHO IS IT?!" Kuroko yelled out. "Is it the ape?! I knew he was up to something!"

"Calm down!" Mikoto ordered. "This isn't about him. Okay Kuroko, what qualities in a person do YOU think someone should have to be with me?" Kuroko opened her mouth but the seriousness on Mikoto's face made her hesitate. They both knew Kuroko loved Mikoto, she wasn't afraid to show it, but Kuroko was also Mikoto's best friend. If Mikoto asked her a question seriously, she would answer the best she could, even if it wasn't the perfect answer. Kuroko took a deep breath. Mikoto could tell she didn't want to say this, but it was a mark of their friendship that Kuroko would.

"I think if they make you happy," Kuroko finally said. "That's the most important thing. Though, being smart, skilled, refined, and have the ability to help you with your goals should be important factors too."

"Huh?" Mikoto raised an eyebrow at the last one.

"It's obvious you don't want to stay in this city forever," Kuroko said with a sigh. "You are going to leave at some point to go on a journey to be a trainer. That is why I am working so hard to catch up. I want to go with you. Whoever accompanies you needs to be strong enough to be your support."

"If someone could face the world champ and win," Mikoto asked. "Would that be skilled enough?"

"Heh," Kuroko snickered. "I saw how strong the champion is on TV. If someone could TIE with him, that would be enough."

"That's what I wanted to know." Mikoto beamed brightly at Kuroko, whose eyes widened at the smile. Not giving Kuroko time to say anything, Mikoto turned and walked into the bathroom. The locked clicked before Kuroko snapped to her senses.

"Wait!" Kuroko cried out and started pounding on the door. "What was that all about?"

Mikoto only laughed.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **I hoped everyone enjoyed Touma's fourth Pokémon. I know everyone wanted to see a legendary, but I thought about it a lot. One of Touma's strong points is he's supposed to be kind of normal, but can hold his own in a fight. I figured a Ditto, a normal type, would be a perfect choice. It looks weak, but can quickly become a threat. Add in some combat experience and you have a very powerful fighter. Few Pokémon can stand up to Mewtwo, so Ditto was a great way to get a nonlegendary to face it. Also, you should take a look at "Why Ditto Is the Most Dangerous Pokémon" by Dorkly on YouTube to understand why they are so terrifying. Finally, Ditto is able to cause some very hilarious scenes down the road.**

 **Jolteon: Can't wait to show up Sylveon now!**

 **Pikachu: Still planning to fight her for Chameleon?**

 **Jolteon: It's not a fight. It's simply me showing that I have always been his match.**

 **Pikachu: I know he's strong, but still.**

 **Magnemite: If you like him, go for it Jolteon.**

 **Jolteon: Good to see some support.**

 **Pikachu: Fine, as long as you don't act like Sylveon's trainer. That's just embarrassing.**

 **Magnemite: Doesn't our trainer kind of act like that with the boy?**

 **Pikachu: NO! That's completely different.**

 **Jolteon: Heh, Pikachu just needs to find someone.**

 **Pikachu: I'm far too young to be thinking about that.**


	10. Natural Hazards

**It has been a long time since I wrote a chapter for this crossover. Most of my time writing has been dedicated to my other main ones. I plan to keep updating this one occasionally, but it won't be my focus. Not enough ours in the day and I still have all my real life activities taking up time, work, friends, etc. I wasn't sure when I was going to start updating this again, but a lot of people on a discord server kept asking for an update. I also managed to get a lot of ideas from people there and my brain started coming up with the next few plot ideas. This one will be updated sporadically the best, but look forward for some light hearted fun adventures. I was glad everyone seemed to appreciate my choice of ditto too.**

 **Wanderer No.96: Some of the most entertaining ideas come from deciding which Pokémon represent the trainers.**

 **Brosephg: Ah, this comment was so long ago, you were in the, don't spoil things stage. I'm glad you overcame that.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: I don't want most trainers to just have legendary ones. It ruins the impact. They have to earn one. Though, people like Accelerator who naturally stand above others get one. Since we mostly follow Mikoto's Pokémon journey, we probably won't see much Ditto antics until the start traveling together.**

 **Acpeters: Short? Pssh, they are decent length so people can enjoy it after the long wait. Ditto was well received, which I was happy about.**

 **Liuen: I can only read intentions by facial expressions and the tone of your voice. Words tell me nothing. I'm not going to make Ditto all powerful, it still has to see the Pokémon to transform into it. Ditto can turn into inanimate objects, so I'm sure some interesting situations will happen because of that. Accelerator and Touma always become BFFs. It's their nature. Index will have a different role in this world.**

 **FrodoFighter: Now we get to one of the ones who wanted me to update this. I know you too well now, so your denial doesn't work. Touma will catch a black Rayquaza now. Ditto was the only Pokémon capable of fighting Ditto that wasn't really a legendary. Touma's hidden ability is Attract. The power of friendship is always evident in Pokémon. It's how Ash wins fight without evolving squat. It was ironic a copy beat Mewtwo, if you remember the original movie. Don't you rob your opponent after beating them for cash? Accelerator earns a lot beating people. Their children would be cute. Ditto's transformation was supposed to represent Imouto and now she can make a constant appearance. Using stones should never be taken lightly. The choice can't be taken back. Poor Kuroko, accidently blessing Mikoto's and Touma's union. It's going to see Mikoto and Misaki at once and transform into a hybrid between them.**

 **Formboy1: Hah, no one expects Ditto. I listen to music a lot when writing them too. Shiage Hamazura has the golden Magikarp. Heh, DBZ Pokémon fight. Jolteon's evolution was always planned out.**

 **vietnamese guy: Ditto won't be all powerful. Touma doesn't deserve that. Don't think there is a pure protection Pokémon, so that could be split up among many Pokémon. Ultra Beasts might not show up early on.**

 **WiliamZ0: Over 100 reviews for a light hearted side project, not bad. Deoxys is reserved for another, a better person. Huh, something to balance out Yveltal. I wonder if there was some kind of deer like one to do so. Rampardos will win, or one day mega evolve and its ability will allow Headbutt to hit ghosts. A ground water Pokémon would be tough for their team, but that's why they know Iron Tail and Dragon Claw. Touma doesn't have enough badges to order a Charzard around.**

 **Cyber dragonarmy: Writing gets easier the more you do it. The time it took to write 5k words now extends to maybe 8k. I'm not going to put myself in the story to avoid giving myself good stuff.**

 **Q-Guest: Someone is carrying around a baby Lugia. Would make interesting conversation.**

 **anapaula25972016: Guys fight and then become best friends. They could always be rivals, but you can be friends with rivals.**

 **Chen: Hiatus is over.**

 **dickythamrin077: Shattered Vale is a lot more popular than this one. This is a side project at best. Yeah, if everyone had a legendary, the series would be boring. Most of the moves kind of describe themselves, but I always put a short description. To picture a lot of fight scenes, google the Pokémon once you have the name so you can picture it fight. Maybe Dittos are female and just bi?**

 **SilverStream1706: You can do so much with crossovers, but merging them can be tough. You always favor one over the other. Last Order and Worst will probably be Mikoto's real life sisters and visit her at some point. She would freak out when Last Order really likes Accelerator and I can see Accelerator pretending to be nice to her to piss off Mikoto.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or Pokémon. I wish I did so I could retire rich.**

* * *

"This is going to be great!" Kuroko laughed, as she walked backwards in front of Mikoto. "I can't wait to show my classmates my new Pokémon."

"You're sure in a good mood," Mikoto pointed out, but feeling relieved. "But try not to get ahead of yourself."

Kuroko had been in a sour mood since yesterday, after Mikoto and Touma finished practicing. Mikoto had then returned late with a Thunder Stone, though she pass it off to Kuroko by pretending she saw a sale on one and decided to buy it when it was cheap. All it took was Mikoto reminding Kuroko of her promise to take her out of the city and help her catch a Pokémon to give her mood a complete one eighty. That led to the current situation. Kuroko had packed her red bag with some water, snacks, and a first aid kit, basic gear their teachers told them they should have when traveling. She was also wearing a skirt, sleeveless t-shirt, and a visor to shade her eyes. Mikoto was in her normal shorts, T-shirt, and a cap, her new green backpack over her shoulders. They had just exited the city boundaries and Kuroko took a deep breath of fresh air before answering.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Kuroko asked. "I don't have to wait for my teachers to say we are ready, I get to spend the afternoon with you and no one else, and I'm going to get a new Pokémon. It's a great day."

"Do you have any idea what kind of Pokémon you would like to catch?" Mikoto asked. "I think that would be a good place to start."

"Hmm," Kuroko murmured. "I've seen a lot of pictures, but I don't think I have a preference yet." She grinned slyly at Mikoto. "Maybe an electric type to remind me of you?"

"We might have to have a small competition to catch it then," Mikoto replied jokingly and they both laughed. "Well, if you don't have a preference, I think we should hike up to the lake and take a break while we plot out the route we want to take." She pulled out a map of the surrounding areas. "I know a few places Pokémon tend to congregate, so we just have to find one you want." She looked over at Kuroko. "I know you really want a second partner, but you shouldn't catch one for the sake of catching one."

"I know," Kuroko agreed. "I'm pretty sure I will know it when I see it."

The two of them followed the road, which led them past a small side path that would take them to the lake. Once they left the main road, they started to see more Pokémon. There were plenty of birds, bugs, canines, and, once they arrived at the lake, Mikoto saw a couple Rhyhorns lazing around the shores of the lake and connecting rivers. The rivers connected several lakes together, before they reach the mountains in the distance. The entire trip had only been about thirty minutes, so they found some shade under a large tree near the shore, sat down, and began to plan their journey, while watching some nearby Pokémon have fun. A couple fish were jumping into the air, before landing with a small splash.

"I am beginning to see why you enjoy coming out here so much," Kuroko said to Mikoto. "It's really peaceful."

"It is," Mikoto agreed. "But you still have to be careful. Not all Pokémon are friendly and then there are hazards you have to watch out for." She pulled out her map and laid it down on the ground. "I was thinking we follow the river from this lake in a loop and then split off about here to arrive back in the city. We should see quite a few Pokémon and, hopefully, one you like."

"Sounds like a plan," Kuroko said. "You know more about the area than I do." They got up, packed their things and started walking between the lakeshore and the tree line. They didn't get far, when several Zigzagoons, white and brown stripped raccoon Pokémon crossed their path. They seemed to be heading for the water and the two girls let them pass.

The hike wasn't as exciting as some of Mikoto's previous excursions, especially when Touma was involved, but Kuroko's presence made the hike enjoyable and fun. They not only got to see a variety of Pokémon, which mainly consisted of water, bug, and normal types, but Kuroko kept referencing things she learned about them in class. She hadn't see many of them outside of a simple textbook, so Mikoto kept telling her stories about some of the things she had seen them do. Nothing seemed to excite Kuroko enough to want to catch them though, and Mikoto kept looking around for anything that might.

"What about one of those?" Mikoto asked, pointing to several Beautiflies hanging around a grove of flowers. Beautifly was a butterfly-like Pokémon with two pairs of wings. It had large blue eyes and black antennae with rounded tips. Its face, underside, and four stubby limbs were gray, while the rest of its body was black. The main body of its wings was black with large, yellow markings, and smaller red and blue markings. The upper pair of wings was larger and had a line of yellow along the top edge, while each of the lower wings had a long, round-tipped extension on the bottom. "They are pretty popular."

"Maybe," Kuroko murmured and then shook her head. "I know I really shouldn't be picky in what I catch, but this will be my first one."

"I understand completely," Mikoto reassured her. "This is entirely up to you. Don't let anyone tell you that you have to catch something for the sake of catching something."

"You sure you aren't just telling me that so I don't bug you about catching a non-electric type?" Kuroko asked slyly.

"O-of course not," Mikoto stammered and diverted eye contact.

"I've given up trying to convince you otherwise," Kuroko continued. "You proved you will overcome any obstacle you face, including type disadvantage. I'll just support for you like I always have done."

"And I'll support you, too," Mikoto replied, smiling broadly. _Now, if only I can get you to befriend Kamijou. I'm sure if you two hang out a bit and talk, you will get along._ She would love for her best friend and friend slash mentor to get along, so she wouldn't have to hang out with them separately. Ruiko and Kazari were both fine with Touma and thought he was nice. She pondered this while they continued hiking, only partially listening to Kuroko talk about a few classmates who had similar Pokémon to the ones around them. Suddenly, Kuroko stopped and threw out an arm in front of Mikoto.

"There," Kuroko whispered and pointed to a rock near the river. "It's adorable." Mikoto turned to see a small, bipedal, rabbit-like Pokémon with brown ears that curled up. It had two types of fur on its body: a light tan fleece that covered most of its lower body, feet, and the tips of its ears, and a smooth chocolate colored pelt on the upper half of its body. It also had a small, triangular pink nose, pink paw pads on the undersides of its feet, and small tan spots above its eyes. The small brown puff tail twitched slightly as the Pokémon bit into a berry. Mikoto vaguely recognized it and pulled out her Pokedex.

"Buneary, the Rabbit Pokémon. By quickly extending its rolled-up ears, it can launch a powerful attack against its enemies. It tucks its head into its fur to sleep on cold nights."

"It is pretty cute," Mikoto admitted. "That fur looks really soft."

"I want that one," Kuroko announced and grabbed the pokeball on her hip. "Come on out, Abra! It's time to catch our first friend." She threw the pokeball and Abra appeared in a flash of red light. It was actually standing up this time, rather than sitting and trying to sleep. Buneary turned toward them, gulped down the rest of the berry, and jumped high into the air to land in front of Abra.

"Bun, Buneary!" It said, before spinning on one of its foot.

"Wait!" Mikoto ordered, as something dawned on her. "Doesn't Abra only know teleport? How is he going to fight?"

"I took a page from you book," Kuroko laughed. "Ready, Abra?" Abra nodded. "Great, use Psyshock!" A ball of blue and purple aura appeared in its hands. A second later, it flew forward at Buneary, though it merely jumped to the left to avoid it. Its powerful hind legs allowed Buneary to move quickly and jump incredibly high. The ball of psychic energy hit the ground behind it with a small explosion.

"When did you teach Abra that?" Mikoto demanded surprised.

"I bought a TM!" Kuroko replied, her eyes still on the battle as Buneary charged forward. A Technical Machine, or TM for short, was a machine used by Pokémon Trainers to teach a Pokémon a new move that it might not be able to learn otherwise. It was a tool developed years ago, but Academy City started producing them in mass quantities. One of the ears of Buneary began to spark up and it closed in on Abra. "Quick, dodge with Teleport!" Abra disappeared a second before Buneary swung at the spot with its ear. Instead, Buneary hit the ground and a small burst of electricity flared up. Abra reappeared about ten feet behind it. "What was that?" Kuroko asked Mikoto worriedly.

"I think that was Thunder Punch," Mikoto replied. "Who would have thought a normal type would know that?"

"Now I want it even more," Kuroko stated with a devious grin. "It totally reminds me of you."

"What? Why?" Mikoto demanded, as Buneary charged at Abra again, its ears spinning slightly.

"Teleport!" Kuroko shouted to Abra. Buneary's attack missed again, as Abra suddenly appeared behind it. "Psyshock!" Abra fired another blast of psychic energy and this time it hit its mark. Buneary was knocked backwards, but bounced up to its feat instantly. Psyshock was not the most powerful psychic attack. "It uses electricity and likes to fight. Plus, it's cute." Mikoto rolled her eyes at this. Buneary dusted itself off with its ears and then its face suddenly grew sad, its eyes shining. Kuroko suddenly felt sorry for it. Buneary had just eaten and then was attacked by a stranger. Even Abra seemed slightly hesitant to attack now.

"It's a trap!" Mikoto yelled out in warning, but it was too late. Buneary grinned and charged forward, to hit Abra with one of its ears, sending Abra flying backwards. "It was using Baby-Doll Eyes to lower Abra's attack."

"That devious…," Kuroko growled. "Abra, are you okay?" Abra stood up and nodded. "Great, now use-… Where did it go?!" She turned left and right and noticed Buneary bounding toward the forest. It looked back at her and smirked. "Don't let it get away, Psyshock!" In Abra's defense, it tried. Reacting immediately, it shot the blast of energy at Buneary, but there was quite a bit of distance between them. Buneary jumped to the left and disappeared into the bushes. The blast hit something past the first line of trees and there was a small flash. Mikoto and Kuroko stood in shocked silence, staring at the spot Buneary disappeared. A buzzing sound broke the silence and the girls turned to each other.

"What was that?" Mikoto asked.

"You don't know?" Kuroko replied.

"It's defiantly not a good sign." Mikoto turned and her eyes widened as a Pokémon appeared and headed toward them. A large bipedal, yellow wasp with four legs instead of six emerged from the trees. Its head was round with a slightly pointed mouth, large, red eyes, and black antennae with a sharp bend in the middle. Its forelegs were tipped with long, conical stingers. The other two legs were long, segmented, and insectoid in shape. It also had two pairs of rounded, veined wings, and another stinger on its yellow-and-black striped abdomen. There was some dust on its abdomen, indicating it had been partially hit by Abra's attack. "A Beedril…" Kuroko frowned at Mikoto's words and held up her Pokedex.

"Beedrill, the Poison Bee Pokémon and the evolved form of Kakuna. Beedrills fly quickly and attack using poison stingers on their fore legs and tail. They are extremely territorial and no one should ever approach its nest. If angered, they will attack in a furious swarm."

"Pikachu!" Mikoto yelled and threw a pokeball. "Thunder Shock!" she instantly ordered, when Pikachu appeared in a flash of red light. Pikachu turned to see the Beedril flying at them.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed and rushed forward, its body beginning to glow yellow. It jumped into the air and unleashed a blast of electricity. The Beedrill shifted to the side in midair and the electricity flew past it, into the trees.

This turned out to be a huge mistake.

There must have been a Beedrill nest nearby, because the sound of angry buzzing grew louder. A second later, easily two dozen equally as angry Beedrills emerged from the trees to join the first one. Kuroko's eyes widened and she turned to Mikoto, as Abra teleported back into her arms. Pikachu started scooting backwards as the swarm drew near.

"Onee-sama?" Kuroko asked nervously. "I hope you have a plan."

"I do," Mikoto replied and Kuroko sighed in relief. "RUN!" Kuroko jumped and turned to rush after her and Pikachu. They were not prepared to face off against a swarm of Beedrills. They ran away as fast as they could, but the Beedrills were gaining on them.

"We aren't going to lose them!" Kuroko cried and her eyes darted to the lake. "Do they like water?!"

"I don't know!" Mikoto answered, gasping for breath as they kept sprinting full speed. "And I don't think we can hold our breath long enough!" Her eyes darted to the woods. "Left! We can lose them in the trees!" Kuroko nodded and they bolted into the woods. The trees grew thicker and they could barely see each other, but the buzzing sound was growing softer. The Beedrills were spreading out to find them, so it was slowing them down. Mikoto didn't grow complacent and kept urging Kuroko forward. They finally burst out into a grass field and kept moving. Eventually, the buzzing disappeared and they sat down, trying to catch their breath. Only Abra was fine, as Kuroko carried it.

"That… was… fun," Kuroko panted.

"Reminds me of when I first met Kamijou," Mikoto laughed. "He was being chased too."

"Chased?" Kuroko asked and looked over at her with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. "You didn't tell me that."

"Slipped my mind," Mikoto lied, trying to hide the fact she never meant to tell Kuroko that.

"Onee-sama-…," Kuroko said slowly, but was interrupted by a faint buzzing. "Oh, no! Did they find us?" A yellow and black blur flew out of the forest above them. A single Beedrill looked around, noticed the girls, and made a beeline straight toward them.

"Pikachu!" Mikoto shouted. "Thunder-…" She shut her mouth when she saw Pikachu was exhausted from all that running. "Return!" She held out a pokeball and Pikachu disappeared into it. _Jolteons, turn._ She grabbed another pokeball, but Kuroko's shout distracted her.

"Abra, Psyshock!"

A large orb of the blueish-purple energy flew at Beedrill. Due to Kuroko's sudden order, it didn't have time to dodge and the attack made direct contact. Beedrill was a bug-type, which was actually strong offensively against psychic types like Abra, but it was also a poison-type, which was weak against psychic attacks. A fight between the two Pokémon was going to quickly turn into who could make the most direct hits. Beedrill flew backwards in the air, but stabilized itself. The stingers on Beedrill's arms glowed white and fired multiple small, white needles at Abra. Abra teleported out of the way and they rained down harmless against the ground.

"Pin Missile," Mikoto muttered. "That Beedrill is definitely a high level."

"Keep up the hit and run tactics!" Kuroko called out to Abra. Abra kept unleashing blast after blast of psychic energy, before being forced to teleport out of the way of the returning Pin Missile. However, the Beedrill was faster and began to dodge the attacks by simply shifting to the side, right before the attack made contact. It then unleashed a counter attack, which was giving Abra less and less time to aim or dodge. Then, the second Abra teleported, the Beedrill had zipped down and started unleashed a fury of jabs with its arm stingers. Abra did not have time to dodge and was knocked backwards. The Bedrail flew high into the air and its stingers began to glow slightly purple.

"Get up, Abra!" Kuroko cried out desperately. "I believe in you!"

"You can do it!" Mikoto also yelled encouragingly. _Beedrills planning to poison Abra, that way, even if it teleports, its health will keep dropping. Come on! This is Kuroko's first real fight since the Buneary ran away. A loss will only demoralize her._ Mikoto clamped her hands together, fighting herself about getting involved. This was Kuroko's fight and Mikoto knew if she was in Kuroko's shoes, she would get upset if someone interfered. Trainers had to learn to do things themselves. Abra stood up shakily and looked up at the Beedrill beginning to descend.

"I know how strong you are!" Kuroko yelled out. "It's not over unless you give up!" Abra looked over at her, and it gave a brief nod.

Then its body then began to glow with a pure white light.

"Abra!?" Kuroko asked in shock.

"It's evolving!" Mikoto realized. The white outline of Abra began to grow taller and broader. Once, the light faded, a brand new Pokémon stood before them. It was a primarily yellow, humanoid Pokémon, with two large, pointed ears on top of its head, a red star on its forehead, and wide cheeks leading down to a thin snout. Its eyes were deep-set and narrow. Extending from its snout were two mustache-like tufts of fur. The torso was segmented with bulky shoulders, a thick, brown chest, and a small abdomen marked by three red, wavy lines. Attached to the Pokémon's abdomen was a large, thick tail encircled with a brown band near its base. Its arms were thin with brown elbows, and ended in three-fingered hands with white claws, while the legs had prominent knees and large, three-toed feet, also ending in white claws. A metal spoon was held in one hand.

"Kadabra," it announced, while Mikoto and Kuroko held up their Pokedexes.

"Kadabra, the Psi Pokémon and the evolved form of Abra. It stares at its silver spoon to focus its mind and emits more alpha waves while doing so."

"You evolved," Kuroko whispered and then a huge smile appeared. "Go get it, Kadabra!" The Beedrill had hesitated when Abra evolved, but it now swooped down to deliver the poison attack. Kadabra raised its spoon between itself and the Beedrill, before a cone of purple energy flew out from it. Beedrill was unable to move out of the way and began to fly erratically in the air, zigzagging and ducking randomly.

"What was that?" Mikoto asked Kuroko.

"I think that was Confusion," Kuroko answered, as she skimmed her Pokedex. "There's only like a ten percent chance of causing confusion, so we got lucky." Kuroko looked up at the Beedrill. "Kadabra's power increased too, so he can do so much more damage. "Kadabra, show that Beedrill why it should never have messed with us! Use, Psyshock!" The blueish-purple ball returned at the tip of Kadabra's spoon, but it grew in size and intensity. Kadabra aimed carefully and fired a precise shot. The explosion knocked the confused Beedrill out of the sky and it came crashing down into the ground.

"You did it!" Mikoto cheered and hugged Kuroko. Kuroko hugged back, but decided to take it one step too far and felt up Mikoto, while they were both stuck in the embrace. Mikoto replied by hitting her hard on the top of the head. "And you had to ruin the moment."

"Couldn't resist," Kuroko admitted, but she laughed and rushed over to Kadabra. "You did amazing! I can't believe you evolved in the middle of a fight!" She hugged Kadabra tightly.

"Kadabra," Kadabra replied, but looked pleased with itself. "Dabra," it added and pointed. Kuroko turned around and saw the Beedrill struggling to get up.

"You know," Mikoto pointed out, as she walked up. "That Buneary is long gone and that Beedrill isn't too shabby."

"Hmm," Kuroko mused and fidgeted with a pokeball on her belt. "This was our first real fight with a wild Pokémon." She grinned. "You're right. I think this will be a good choice. What do you think?" She directed the question to Kadabra, who nodded. Kuroko threw her pokeball and it hit Beedrill. Beedrill disappeared into the ball in a flash of red light. The seal on the ball glowed red as it shook, once, twice, and finally a third time before falling silent. Kuroko ran over to it, picked up the ball, and held it high above her head. "I caught it! I caught it! My first Pokémon!" She realized she might have been overreacting, stopped, and coughed. "This is a big milestone," she said in a voice of determined calm, while Mikoto giggled.

"Now you have to get use to battling with it," Mikoto reminded her. 'Beedrills are rather aggressive, as we saw. It's going to take some time."

"I know, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the moment." Kuroko pulled out her Pokedex. "It knows, Poison Sting, Fury Attack, Venoshock, and Pin Missile. Not a bad move set. Kadabra learned Kinesis and Confusion too. Today went a lot better than I imagined. I thought I would only get a new partner, but Abra actually evolved."

"That might come in handy tomorrow," Mikoto told her.

"Why?"

"Kamijou and I are training tomorrow, remember." Kuroko nodded at Mikoto's words. "Shokuhou-san has a previous engagement and won't be able to meet up. Even if we use his Rampardos, we need another Pokémon to face off against. I was planning to use Jolteon, but it would be better to have another trainer. Saten-san and Uiharu-san asked to watch one of our sessions, but neither of them have a lot of experience in battles. Maybe you could use Kadabra, since now you have experience. I would really appreciate your help. It's good to face off against different opponents."

"I w-would be h-honored to help," Kuroko stammered. The fact Mikoto thought she was good enough to train with her filled Kuroko with pride. "Saten-san can probably act as the ref. She might enjoy that."

"I think she would." They both laughed. "So, ready to head back? I don't know about you, but I think I got enough exercise today." She reached into her bag and grabbed the water bottle.

"Definitely. I need a shower."

* * *

While the girls were heading back, the Buneary they had fought against had found another rock to sit on and bask in the sun. They didn't know this particular Pokémon had a history of manipulating trainers with its cuteness before stealing food or other objects. A few trainers had tried to capture it, but it had always managed to escape. One of the reasons Buneary was still free was because it didn't take risks. If things turned against it, it would flee. There was no reason for honor. It mainly only revealed itself to female trainers, but Kuroko and Mikoto had snuck up on it when it had been distracted, so it had not been prepared to manipulate them. A sound in the brush behind it caused its ear to twitch and then it turned around.

"Found you," the young girl, who just emerged, said. She had short brown hair in a bobcat, though it was covered by the orange hood of her sleeveless hoody. A white t-shirt and blue hot pants poked out of it. She walked forward and removed a pokeball from inside her front pocket. "You didn't think you would get away from stealing our cake, did you?"

"Bun?" Buneary asked innocently, while it tilted its head cutely.

"Don't try that on me again," the girl scoffed. "I was just going to blast you and leave you somewhere, but you actually have a devious side I can appreciate. So guess what? I'm going to capture you."

"Buneary, Bun Buneary!" Buneary retorted and hopped off the rock. The innocent look on its face vanished as it bounced between each foot, its expression defiant. Its ears started making punching motions.

"Brave," the girl laughed and threw a pokeball. "But stupid all the same." A large brown bear with a yellow circle on its chest appeared in a flash of red light. The expression on its face was one devoid of mercy, as it looked down at the small trembling bunny. "Ursaring," the girl ordered. "Hammer Arm!" The Ursaring charged forward and Buneary tried to avoid it, but the Ursaring was bigger, stronger, and about as fast in the short distance between them. The glowing arm smacked against Buneary and sent it flying into a tree. Buneary was a normal-type and weak to fighting type moves like Hammer Arm. It slid down the tree and sat in a stunned stupor at the base.

"Eary," Buneary gasped, as its head spun. The girl threw a pokeball and Buneary disappeared in a flash of red light. The pokeball shook three times before falling silent. The girl walked up and picked it up, shrugged, and pocketed it.

"I thought it would have put up a better fight," she said with a yawn. "Was it injured?" She glanced at her Ursaring. "Or are you just that strong?" Ursaring beat its chest with an arm and let out a roar. "Sure, we can go with that." She returned Ursaring into its pokeball, before pulling out her phone. "Hey, Frenda? I'm finished with my errand. Where does Mugino need me?"

* * *

"Did he respond yet?" Ruiko asked Mikoto, the following day.

"No, but he will eventually or at least meet us there." Mikoto, Kuroko, Ruiko, and Kazari had arrived at the location Touma and Mikoto had practiced Sunday. The problem was, a group of half a dozen people had set up there and were on some kind of picnic or quasi camp out. Rather than disturb them, Mikoto sent Touma a text about a chance of location. There was a clearing she remembered on one side of a river, with a cliff overlooking it. In fact, it was where she and Touma had fallen off during their first encounter, so she knew he had to know where that was. "If we arrive and he hasn't shown, I'll give him a call."

"The Ape really needs to show some manners and message you back immediately," Kuroko huffed.

"He might be in the middle of something important," Kazari stated reasonably. "I mean, if he's trying to catch a wild Pokémon, he could hardly reply to your message."

"True," Mikoto agreed. "But I bet he lost his phone with his luck."

"I could overlook his tardiness if it's the first one," Kuroko relented. "When I caught Beedrill, I was focused purely on that, but losing his phone is entirely his fault."

"I kind of want to catch a Pokémon in an actual battle," Ruiko said wishfully and put her hands behind her head. "Unown joined up after I asked." She glanced over at Kazari. "Then Uiharu just has to walk outside and Pokémon beg to join her."

"Huh?" Mikoto and Kuroko asked confused, looking between the other two.

"Saten-san!" Kazari reprimanded. "I thought you said you wouldn't make a big deal about it."

"But it was funny."

"What happened?" Mikoto asked, the corners of her mouth twitching.

"Did she catch another Pokémon by accident again?" Kuroko pressed, unable to hide her smirk.

"Wasn't so much by accident," Ruiko laughed. "We were hanging out after school yesterday and let our Pokémon out of their poke balls to get some fresh air. Well, Uiharu's Oddish and Chikorita wandered off and when we found them, they had met a new playmate."

"They found a Petilil," Kazari took over. "When they saw us looking for them, they came back and Petilil wanted to stay with its friends. So I handed it a pokeball and it voluntarily was captured. It wasn't an accident like Oddish."

"Petilil, huh?" Mikoto muttered and pulled out her Pokedex. Kuroko peered over her shoulder as she pulled up the information. The Pokémon resembled a plant bulb, such as an onion, and was primarily light green. Its head was tipped with three oblong leaves. Its crescent-shaped white face, seemingly lacking of a nose or mouth, had brown eyes shaped like elongated ovals. A green "bib" was present on its neck, and its lower body consisted of five stubs, two of which acted as arms, and two more acted as legs.

"Petilil, the Bulb Pokémon. Although the leaves on its head are bitter enough to cause dizziness, they provide relief from weariness, even more so when boiled."

"Isn't it cute," Ruiko prodded.

"Yeah," Mikoto agreed. "And has a nice rejuvenation effect too."

"How do you catch so many Pokémon?" Kuroko asked bewildered. "You rarely leave the city except with us."

"They are attracted to her," Ruiko said seriously. "After we watched you guys train a bit, I plan to prove the rumor by putting Uiharu in a field and watching."

"What rumor is this?" Kazari demanded.

"That grass-types love you." Kazari started pounding her fists against Ruiko's chest in embarrassment instead of malice. "I bet some really rare ones would follow you out here."

"That won't happen," Kazari protested.

"I kind of want to see that," Mikoto said.

"Me, too," Kuroko agreed. Kazari turned to them and Ruiko took advantage of her momentary defenselessness. Ruiko reached down and flipped her skirt up, revealing her underwear.

"Green and white today?" Ruiko commented. Kazari blinked and then she processed what happened.

"SATEN-SAAAAANNNNN!"

"It should be right around the corner, there," Mikoto told the others and pointed. The river was going past a large hill, with one side being virtually a rock shelf and the cliff overlooking everything. "So Kuroko, think you can use Beedrill effectively, or are you going to use Kadabra?"

"I'm better with Kadabra," Kuroko answered. "And I need to be at my best to face you."

"I figured as much," Mikoto said casually. "But I heard your Beedrill caused some commotion in class today-…" Her words were cut off as the ground began to shake.

"Earthquake!" Ruiko cried. Kazari fell to the ground and everyone else staggered. The shaking stopped, but then they heard the crashing sound of dirt and rocks colliding with the shore ahead, followed by rocks splashing into water. As the girls watched, part of the cliff began to crumble onto the share and into the river. Mikoto was relieved they were far enough away before the earthquake hit, but then she heard someone yell. A very familiar voice she had burned into her mind.

"Such misfortuuunnnee!"

"Was that…?" Kuroko asked, trailing off as she knew the answer.

"Yep," Mikoto confirmed. "Come on, we need to make sure he's okay." All four of the girl's ran toward the spot they heard Touma yell from. Luckily, they were on the other side of the river, so they didn't have to risk being near the cliff during an aftershock. They turned along the bend and Mikoto saw Touma sitting on his butt, Rampardos next to him and staring intently at the cliff. "Kamijou!" Mikoto called out. "Are you okay?" Touma glanced at her briefly and held up a hand.

"Stay back, Misaka!" He yelled back and she stopped, Kuroko, Ruiko, and Kazari imitating her actions. Touma turned his head back to the cliff and Mikoto's gaze followed his. She gasped when she saw what he was looking at.

It was a Pokémon.

It wasn't the largest Pokémon Mikoto had ever seen, maybe four feet tall, but it seemed to be exerting a kind of pressure as she gazed up at it. It was a quadruped, mammalian Pokémon with a dark blue to black body covered in white fur. It had a ruff around its neck and chest and a tuft on the top of its head adorned with a single blue-black oval. The feline face had almond-shaped, red eyes, a scythe-like tail, and a crescent shaped horn on the side of its head. Its broad feet were equipped with three claws each, and spikes protrude from the heels of its hind legs and the elbows of its front legs. The red eyes darted toward Mikoto and her friends for a moment, before turning back to Rampardos, who scratched the ground angrily with its foot. Ruiko pulled out her Pokedex, while Mikoto kept glancing between Touma and the Pokémon.

"Absol, the Disaster Pokémon. Absol live in steep mountainous regions, and rarely venture down into areas inhabited by humans, but should an Absol be seen by humans, it is said that catastrophe is soon to follow." Mikoto shivered when she heard this.

 _Was that earthquake caused by Absol?_ she thought. To her relief, the Absol gave them all one last look, turned around, and disappeared. They waited a moment, to make sure it was truly gone, before rushing over to Touma, who had stood up and started to brush himself off. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Touma reassured her. "He turned to the others. Hey Shirai-san and… Saten-san and Uiharu-san, right?" Ruiko and Kazari nodded.

"Good to see you again, Kamijou-san," Kazari greeted him.

"What did you do?" Kuroko demanded. "Did you and Rampardos cause that rockslide fighting that Absol?"

"Hang on," Ruiko interrupted. "There was an equal chance that Absol caused it. Shouldn't we hear his side at least?"

"I suppose so," Kuroko relented.

"Technically," Touma told them. "I don't think either of us caused it, unless Absol truly can cause disasters just by showing up. I got your message about meeting here, and then my phone died…"

"That explains why you didn't contact me back," Mikoto interrupted. "We figured you were preoccupied fighting something."

"No, Rampardos already beat about ten Rhyhorns already as a warm up."

"Ten?!" Kuroko, Ruiko, and Kazari gasped.

"You learned not to cause a stampede?" Mikoto asked. "Like last time."

"Heh, yeah." Touma rubbed his neck sheepishly. "This time, we challenged the leader and Rampardos beat it in a headbutt competition."

"Rampardos!" Rampardos cheered in triumph.

"What about your fight with the Absol?" Ruiko asked impatiently.

"Saten-san," Kazari scolded. 'Don't interrupt."

"Right," Touma continued. "Anyway, Rampardos and I arrived only a few minutes ago, when that Absol appeared. It wasn't the first time we saw it actually."

"Oh?" Kuroko raised an eyebrow.

"The first time we met it," Touma explained. "Charmander had not evolved yet and we were just coming out of the forest. Absol was standing on a pile of rocks and glaring at us. I thought it was about to attack, so we were prepared to fight, when a bunch of Pokémon ran out of a bunch of trees. Something had started a forest fire not too far away from us and was spreading fast. I never found out what started it, but the Absol disappeared. This time, when Absol appeared, Rampardos decided he wanted to fight it." Rampardos nodded eagerly. "But we couldn't reach it and it wouldn't come down. Then the earthquake hit and the cliff face started to collapse. You all showed up after that and saw what happened."

"Do you think Absol was causing the disasters?" Mikoto asked. "Or was it just sensing them?"

"I… have no idea." Touma shrugged.

"It looked strong," Ruiko said, as she glanced up at the cliff. "I bet Rampardos can't wait to face it." She scratched Rampardos behind the ear and it closed its eyes as it relaxed.

"Please don't encourage him," Touma begged. "He's going to make me hunt Absol down if I'm not careful."

"So Rampardos is the trainer?" Mikoto asked, giggling.

"Very funny," Touma moaned. Kuroko rolled her eyes. She still couldn't figure out what Mikoto saw in him except that he had decently trained Pokémon.

"I think we should move a little further away from this location," Kazari suggested. "While the Absol is gone, we should be weary of aftershocks and possible weak structural integrity in the cliff."

"Good idea," Mikoto agreed and the others had no problem with moving. Five minutes later, they found a nice wide open area to practice. Everyone let out the Pokémon, though Mikoto noticed Touma didn't let out a certain blue blob. She greatly appreciated that, because Kuroko didn't need another reason to be suspicious of him.

"Wow, Saten-san," Touma said. "Is that an Unown? Where did you catch it?"

"Last Saturday during a trip to a temple," Ruiko replied excitedly. "It was all alone and I asked if it wanted to come with me. It did!" The Unown squeaked. The other girls noticed Ruiko didn't mention their trip through time, which they had all agreed would be their secret. Popplio hopped down and started chatting to Pikachu. Jolteon crept over to Charmeleon and started chatting. Charmeleon looked confused for a moment, but relaxed and laid down while occasionally giving a short reply. Kazari's Chikorita and Oddish started wandering over by Kuroko's Beedrill, who seemed to be okay around plant types.

"Abra evolved, Shirai-san?" Touma asked. Kadabra was meditating and levitating a foot off the ground.

"Yes," Kuroko answered. "I trained hard to get Abra to a point where he could enter battles and my hard work paid off. I noticed you haven't evolved or caught any new Pokémon."

"I can tell," Touma admitted. "But Rampardos can't evolve, Charmeleon evolved not terribly long ago, and Riolu has only just begun to battle. Took a while to get over his stage fright."

"Seems to be getting along with Uiharu-san's new addition," laughed Mikoto.

"Their personalities are similar," Kazari admitted, as she watched Riolu and Petilil chat. Riolu was taller than Petilil, so he sat down as they were roughly the same height. Riolu was gesturing while talking to emphasize something. "I'm glad she's making friends. She usually freezes up if anyone besides me or my other Pokémon approach her."

"Then we have the social ones over there," Mikoto said and jabbed her thumb over her shoulder at Rampardos and Magnemite. Those two were playing their usual game of hacky sack with Magnemite being the ball. "Do you think they keep score, or something?"

"I bet Rampardos wants someone to play against," Touma sighed.

"So are we going to practice?" Kuroko asked. "I came out here to help since Shokuhou-san can't."

 _Sure,_ Mikoto thought. _That was only a convenient excuse for you and you know it._

"We really should," Touma agreed, mollifying Kuroko. "Since we aren't meeting every day, we need as much practice as we can get."

"Why?" Kazari inquired. "Wouldn't it be more beneficial to practice after school every day?"

"The tournament is purely an extracurricular activity," Mikoto reminded her. "We still have normal school work and other activities."

"And Komoe-sensei keeps giving me extra homework to make up for missing class," Touma added, a depressed look on his face. "Rampardos tends to occupy a lot of my time."

"I feel your pain," Ruiko sympathized. "I can barely keep up with my own homework."

"Because you watch too much TV," Kazari told her friend.

"I don't know what you mean," Ruiko replied, as she diverted her eyes, but didn't fool anyone.

"Hey, Saten-san," Kuroko said. "I usually act as the referee, but I'm going to be participating this time. Can you ref?"

"Sure," Ruiko agreed. "I don't really have a lot of experience, but I'll try."

"It's mostly to call off the fight," Mikoto reassured her. "But if you notice a mistake on our part, feel free to stop and let us know. We are trying to improve."

"At least our teamwork is better now," Touma laughed. "We fight together, instead of just on the same side." Mikoto laughed and fist bumped him. Kuroko saw Mikoto's delighted expression and felt rage well up within her, but desperately tried to keep a neutral appurtenance.

"What are the teams going to be?" Kazari asked.

"Rampardos and Kadabra versus Pikachu and Charmeleon," Touma answered. Kuroko, Touma, and Mikoto took their respective positions, while Ruiko stood at the center line.

"I wish we could battle against two people who are used to fighting together," Mikoto mumbled to Touma. "With Rampardos, we are just fighting against two Pokémon, not a team."

"Think Saten-san and Uiharu-san would spar against us?" Touma asked. "They seem close."

"Roommates and best friends," Mikoto informed him. "But they are in Kuroko's year and don't have a lot of experience with battles. I feel it would turn into us training them."

"They are your friends," Touma pointed out. "That wouldn't be a bad thing. Let me know if you ever need some help."

"I'll hold you to it," Mikoto told him firmly, but she grinned. _Spending more time with him and my friends? I don't see a downside. As long as my classmates don't scare him away Friday… huh, does he even know about it?_ "Hey, did your teacher tell you about Friday?"

"Yeah," Touma admitted, but he sounded confused. "I'm supposed to visit your school like you did to mine, but isn't your school, umm, an all girls' school?"

"It is," Mikoto replied blushing slightly. "But mentors have special permission to enter the school grounds when it relates to the program, so don't try to sneak in to see me!" She didn't know why she got all agitated near the end, but she felt so hot.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Touma defended himself quickly. "I have enough misfortune without breaking the school rules."

"Good." Mikoto would never admit she felt disappointed at how fast he agreed. It was as if part of her wanted him to sneak in to see her.

"If you two lovebirds are done strategizing!" Ruiko called out to them. "Are you ready?"

"We aren't lovebirds!" Touma and Mikoto denied, both equally embarrassed. Ruiko only laughed and Kazari looked slightly red from the side line, but she cheered for all of them to do their best. Kuroko was not amused though.

"You better not be trying to seduce her, Ape!"

"I don't even know how to seduce!" Touma shot back. Mikoto face palmed.

"Looks like everyone is ready!" Ruiko called out, raised her hand, and looked between the three trainers and their four Pokémon. "So let's begin!"

Mikoto thought their practice went incredibly well. Pikachu and Charmeleon had gotten used to being able to switch opponents, attacking the same target without hitting each other, and dodge attacks from their blind spots. Mikoto worked on learning how to monitor not only Pikachu's fighting, but the field as a whole. That was one spot Touma seemed to be leagues ahead of her on. He was able to order Charmeleon around the field that always seemed to set Pikachu up to deliver surprise attacks, which Mikoto learned to recognize. Rampardos always fell for the traps, but their attacks barely fazed it. Mikoto started to understand how it was so tough. Rampardos didn't bother to dodge attacks, it just took them and ignored the damage.

Surprisingly, Kuroko seemed to be getting the most out of the training. Touma and Mikoto already knew how to battle, but Kuroko and Abra had not participated in many because Abra had only known Teleport. Now Kadabra had multiple attack options, as well as the ability to teleport around the battlefield. If Mikoto focused on Kadabra, Rampardos would charge forward and wreak havoc, if she ignored Kadabra, its psychic attacks will disrupt Pikachu's attacks. Kuroko was able to work around Rampardos's straight forward attack style and manipulate the field to her advantage. Mikoto was impressed. It was like fighting an actual team. Eventually, they stopped and took a break to rest up and talk about the fight.

"But seriously, that Teleport is a pain to deal with," Touma sighed and fell back into the grass after finishing his snack. "You think you got Kadabra cornered and it suddenly appears behind you."

"Hah," Kuroko laughed triumphantly.

"I don't know," Ruiko said. "Charmeleon looked like it could tell where Kadabra was going to appear most of the time, unless Rampardos distracted him."

"Predicted is more like it," Mikoto muttered in agreement. She glanced over at Charmeleon, who was eating one of Ruiko's snacks with Jolteon and Riolu next to him. "How did he do that?"

"There was a Haunter that liked to prank us when he was a Charmander," Touma chuckled. "He had to get used to predicting when it would show up. Think of it as danger sense."

"Do all Pokémon around you cause problems?" Mikoto asked incredulously. "Charmeleon is lethargic, Rampardos is battle crazed, that Absol causes disasters, and don't get me started on that Dit… Haunter."

"Riolu is a sweetheart," Ruiko interrupted. "Right?" She looked at him and tossed a small biscuit. Riolu jumped up, caught it, summersaulted in the air, and landed daintily on his feet, before digging in.

"He's used to you four," Touma reminded her. "Try that in front of a crowd and he will lock up, though he is a lot better now. I might have him practice against Charmeleon soon. At least he can hold back, unlike a certain someone."

"Rampardos?" The Pokémon looked confused when Touma glanced at it.

"I can see why onee-sama likes battling so much," Kuroko added, taking a muffin from Ruiko. "It's really quite a rush. I can't wait till we start doing it for real in school. I mean, we are already so far ahead of the rest of our class. Catching wild Pokémon and venturing into the forests unsupervised. Even Uiharu has three already… speaking of which, where is she?" Kuroko looked around and the others imitated her action, except Ruiko.

"She was with us when we sat down," Mikoto muttered.

"Oh, she's fine," Ruiko reassured them and she quickly elaborated when the others stared at her. "You see, I believe Uiharu can mysteriously attract grass Pokémon. So we decided to test out my theory, after you guys finished your battle, she would go into that field over there for a little bit and see if any come up and befriend her."

"You didn't," Mikoto sighed and face palmed.

"I didn't spray her with incense or anything to attract them when she wasn't looking," Ruiko protested. Mikoto and Kuroko stared at her and she finally relented. "Okay, maybe a little."

"You didn't…," Kuroko moaned.

"We should check up on her," Touma stated and stood up. "There are some aggressive Pokémon around here."

"Kuroko and I ran into a Beedrill nest once," Mikoto said and shivered. _Never again._

"She'll be fine," Ruiko said dismissively. "She's close by and it's not like…" They heard a girl scream and Ruiko began to sweat drop. "Okay, maybe we should."

"Hang on!" Mikoto cried out, in hopes Kazari would hear her. "We're coming!" She, the others, and all their Pokémon began to sprint full out toward where they had heard the scream come from. They ran over a small hill and stopped. Chikorita and Oddish were standing about five feet from Kazari, moving back and forth, unsure what to do. Kazari was trying to cover her head, but keeping Petilil safely gripped in her arm, while fighting off the Pokémon towering over her. It was proving to be a challenge. Mikoto wasn't sure what to think. She had never seen this Pokémon before.

It was a large sauropod-like Pokémon with a brown body wrapped in green leaves on its chest and head. It towered over Kazari, but to be fair she wasn't that big. The Pokémon possessed large, broad green leaves on its back. Underneath its head, it had several yellow, banana-like fruits hanging down. The long neck would have made it appeared even taller, if it wasn't bent down to allow its head to make contact with Kazari and doing something Mikoto would be hard pressed to believe. The shock even caused her to not consciously realize she lifted her Pokedex up to see what it was.

"Tropius, the Fruit Pokémon. Tropius can fly through the air by flapping the leaves on its back. It grows stronger in bright sunlight. The fruit that grows around its neck is sweet and popular with children." Mikoto's eyes flickered down to her Pokedex and then back to what Tropius was doing.

It was licking Kazari's hair, mainly her flower headband.

"Help!" Kazari cried, tears in her eyes, as she held Petilil in one arm, while trying to protect her head. "It's trying to eat me!"

"Tropius is a herbivore!" Touma called back to her. "It must think your headband is edible."

"It's not!"

"But doesn't it only eat fruit?" Kuroko asked, gazing at her Pokedex for information. "It wouldn't go after flowers." As Kazari really wasn't in danger, they weren't trying to be overly aggressive, but they were approaching slowly. Rampardos, Charmeleon, Pikachu and Kadabra took the lead.

"I know!" Ruiko exclaimed. "Uiharu recently got some new shampoo that smells like mangos. I bet that's what been attracting all the Pokémon!"

"What?!" Kazari exclaimed in shock.

"You know," mused Mikoto. "I actually wouldn't be too surprised. Many Pokémon used their sense of smell to locate food. It's why if you are camping, all your food should be in airtight containers. It would explain why grass-types congregate around her. Though, Tropius is pretty rare, not even counting it's also a flying-type."

"What should I do?!" wailed Kazari. "Chikorita and Oddish couldn't draw its attention at all!" Mikoto, Touma, Kuroko, and Ruiko all looked at each other. In a brief moment of unity, the Pokémon trainer in all of them emerged and united the different individuals together. All four of them nodded and turned back to Kazari. They told her the same thing simultaneously.

"Catch it!"

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter. I am planning to have the eggs hatch next chapter.**

 **Pikachu: Is that why all of you were attracted to master's friend?**

 **Chikorita: Kind of, but she was shy and friendly too, so I liked her.**

 **Oddish: I was just playing with everyone and Chikorita suggested I stay.**

 **Petilil: The other two reassured me she was nice, but she did smell good too.**

 **Tropius: Tiny girl tastes strange.**

 **Everyone: She's not edible!**

 **Rampardos: If I can't fight him, can we go and find that Absol? It looks strong.**

 **Charmeleon: You do what you want, but if you annoy me, I'll tell Ditto you want to fight it.**

 **Rampardos: … I'll be quiet.**

 **Jolteon: Err… what just happened?**

 **Kadabra: I'm sensing we don't want to know.**


	11. Absol-utely Eggstatic

**As I have mentioned, this project is on the lower end of my priority list. It is a lot more casual than my others, which does appeal to some people. One person was particularly passive aggressive about it recently in hopes I would get another chapter out. I won't give out names, but he knows who he is. I did promise the eggs would hatch this chapter, so let's hope the girls get the Pokémon they want. Sure, life doesn't usually work out that well, but one can hope. Pretty sure at least one of them will be unhappy, until people realize the true potential. But enough of my boring commentary up here, nothing important to say. Moving onto the comments and then you all can enjoy the new chapter.**

 **Cyber dragonarmy: Do a little bit each day when I have time. You can write 1k to 2k words pretty easily once you have done enough writing to get used to it. One day, you will learn not to talk about the level 5s.**

 **Guest: Nah, some friends and I joke around his Pokémon have to have the ability Guts and then give him a Ludicolo.**

 **hubb2001: Saiai and Frenda will probably be a team. Mugino's Pokémon all need to be able to use Hyper Beam. Electrode seems more like Frenda's type of Pokémon, explosive. Poor Touma, Kuroko will not be happy with him. Uiharu will defeat the Elite Four obviously. No one can stand against her army of grass-types. Arcanine is such a loyal Pokémon.**

 **dickythamrin077: Ditto can fight Mewtwo to a draw. Rampardos doesn't stand a chance.**

 **Guest: It was at a point it could be, but then I decided to continue it.**

 **vietnamese guy: He has to catch it and that will not be easy.**

 **Sirius25: They will come occasionally. Think of it like randomly receiving a piece of mail with money in it.**

 **Formboy1: Funny enough, in the series, Absol was used mainly by female trainers. When you look at it, it always seems to be a manly Pokémon. One of the best things about being in Academy City is the access to technology, like the TMs. Right now, I'm constantly imagining it breaking out of its pokeball to try to eat her headband. It is a very heavy hitter for a grass-type. One of your wishes will occur in this chapter, which one, you have to wait and see. As for Ditto, first rule, you don't walk about Ditto. I think Worst would have to be the oldest, mainly so she can look down at the other two. Wonder what Pokémon Birdway would have?**

 **Bluejack222: A Beedrill swarm had to happen someday.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: Hmm, I was kind of planning to have Misaki show up more, but Kuroko forcing herself to journey with Touma and Mikoto might make some fun situations.**

 **WiliamZ0: I wonder how many more mega evolutions we will witness as more games come out. Meowth is kind of a special case and rangers are specifically designed to do that. They might show up at some point. Depends where the story goes. That Tropius is going to have so many hilarious scenes. Don't ask about Ditto, we don't need to know.**

 **Q-Guest: Think it's pretty obvious she will. Since chapter 10 was on Tuesday, couple days left. Wow, Ditto being released there is sure to cause a commotion.**

 **Guest: It is designed to be a nice light hearted story.**

 **FrodoFighter: Essay response, got it. You are the reason I write this. Those dang Pokémon that run away. It's almost as bad as teleport. Evolution during Pokémon contests is a thing in the anime. You have to time it right. You mean the Red Light District? "I think you misspelled Friend/mentor/crush/future husband/father of her children" I died here. Abra can actually stand according to the anime. Uiharu is Grass Pokémon Jesus, huh? They do like her a lot. Not sure about Absol, it might be too good for Touma. What does an Unown feel like? Asking the important questions there. Uiharu doesn't fight grass Pokémon. They either surrender or join her. You pluck the leaves like fruit. Shush, people should be catching Pokémon every two days. Riolu has not been developed, but as Charmeleon was Touma's first partner, it's the best. Again, we do not talk about Ditto.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or Pokémon. I wish I did so I could retire rich.**

* * *

The following day, Mikoto received a surprise during her last lesson.

"Sorry to interrupt," one of the teachers who monitored the daycare at Tokiwadai announced, as she stepped into the class. "But Misaka-san's and Shokuhou-san's had left eggs with us and they are about to hatch. We assumed they would want to be there when they did."

"Really?!" both girls exclaimed in surprise. Neither had expected their eggs to hatch so soon, let alone at the same time. While they tried to keep their eggs with them as much as possible, sometimes they had to leave it at the school daycare for them. It's not like they could take the eggs out into the forests or monitor them during class.

"Can we go, sensei?" Mikoto politely asked their teacher.

"It's not often we get to see an egg hatch," Misaki added quickly. "Perhaps this could be a good learning experience for all of us?" She gestured to the rest of the class, who had perked up with interest.

"Can we?" several asked.

"Hmm." Their teacher thought it over for a minute. "You know," she finally relented. "It does sound like a good opportunity and the day is almost over. I can go over the rest of the lesson tomorrow. Please form up and we will head over there." The class beamed at each other and stood up. The line formed smoothly without incident. Tokiwadai was a high quality all girls' school, so manners was strictly enforced. Mikoto and Misaki ended up near the front, as their class walked down the hallways.

"Looks like our little wager is about to begin," Misaki whispered.

"Don't be jealous when my egg is better than yours," Mikoto replied just as quietly. "You brought this on yourself."

"Silly, Misaka-san," Shokuhou said with a trace of pity in her voice. "Our wager is based on how can raise it better. Regardless of what Pokémon hatches, it will be a fair competition."

"Right." Mikoto remembered. She wasn't too interested in nonelectric –types, but the chances were slim she would get one _. If the Pokémon is cute, it won't be too bad, but if I get something like a Grimer._ She shuddered at the thought. "I might take it out this afternoon and get an early start."

"My thoughts exactly," Misaki agreed. Their class entered the waiting room and gathered around the table as the attendant brought out the two eggs in their containers. Mikoto and Misaki removed the eggs and set them down on pillows. A tub of water was brought out in case one of them was a water type that needed to be submerged. Misaki's rainbow egg's glow was pulsing slowly, while Mikoto yellow egg with blue circles was glowing too, but the pulses were coming faster.

"We believe yours will hatch any moment," the attendant told Mikoto and then turned to Misaki. "Yours may need a few more minutes."

"Thank you," the two girls said politely and she beamed at them.

"Let us know if you need anything else." She turned and left the room. Mikoto's class's attention was focused on the egg and only an occasional whisper broke the silence. Mikoto leaned forward when the glow on her egg stopped pulsing and became continuous. The glow grew brighter until it started to hurt slightly to stare at it directly. The shell fell away and the glow began to take shape. When the glow finally faded, a small feline Pokémon, resembling a lion cub or lynx kitten was sitting on the pillow, blinking its eyes and yawning.

The Pokémon's front half was a light blue, while the rear was black. A short tuft of fur was on its head and smaller tufts on each cheek. It had large, oval ears with yellow, star-shaped markings on the insides, yellow eyes, and a tiny, red nose. Whenever its mouth opened, Mikoto saw small fangs in its upper jaw. A black marking encircles its neck like a collar and there were yellow bands above its forepaws. The hind paws were black like its fur. Spiked fur surrounded the base of its long tail, which was tipped with a yellow star shape. Mikoto pulled out her Pokédex and she wasn't the only one.

"Shinx, the Flash Pokémon. When Shinx flexes its muscles, it generates electricity. When sensing danger, its fur glistens." Mikoto stared in shocked disbelief at her luck when she saw the type. A smile subconsciously formed as she put her Pokédex away.

"You are just precious," Mikoto cooed and reached over to pick it up. Shinx blinked and tilted its head, but didn't resist the action. It stuck a paw up and prodded Mikoto's face delicately, which elicited squeals from several of the other girls, who started to crowd around them.

"He's sooo cute!"

"Can we pet him?"

"Is it soft?"

"One at a ti-…," Mikoto tried to tell them, but Shinx beat her to it. It jumped out of her arms and landed on the table. Misaki, sensing danger, grabbed her egg and backed up. The cute curious face on Shinx was gone and its eyes had narrowed.

"Shinx! Shinx!" Shinx's began to be surrounded in light blue electricity before it was released in a beam of light blue electricity at the nearby girls. They screamed and ducked, as the energy flew harmlessly above them and crashed against the wall.

"Stop it, Shinx!" Mikoto cried out and reached toward it. The second she was about to touch it, it turned around and beamed at her. Mikoto was confused, but picked up Shinx so it wouldn't try to attack anyone else.

"Calm down, everyone!" their teacher ordered and the girls started to form up again. "It is quite normal for newly hatched Pokémon to be easily spooked. Rushing around them is only going to cause them to panic." She turned to Mikoto and Shinx and looked at it. "I think Shinx is of a rather protective nature and was only trying to protect you." Shinx nodded and she smiled. "Well, no harm done. No one was hurt and the walls of the daycare are made extra tough to avoid being damaged by Pokémon attacks. Pretty sure that was Shock Wave. Interesting."

"Why?" one of the other girls asked.

"Shinx can't normally learn that move," their teacher explained. "It can only be learned by breeding. Its parents must have known the skill."

"Seems like Shinx is easily excitable," Misaki pointed out with a giggle. "A perfect match for Misaka-san." Mikoto glared at her and then held Shinx up into the air.

"No more shocking people randomly, okay?" Shinx nodded at her and Mikoto smiled. "Now, I would like to introduce you to my classmates." She turned to the other girls. "Everyone can meet Shinx, one or two at a time, please." The girls lined up and the next few minutes were devoted to Mikoto introducing them to Shinx. During this time, Misaki set the egg back down and watched the pulsing glow of her own egg. Her outside demeanor was calm, but inside she was fidgeting. Mikoto had hatched an electric-type, something she had wanted. Misaki now had to have something that could match it, or Mikoto would never let her live it down.

 _I was the one who made the wager,_ Misaki thought bitterly. _Who would have thought Misaka-san would hatch a type she was used to raising._ Misaki was relying on luck, something she didn't naturally appreciate. A well thought out plan always appealed to her more. At long last, the second egg on the table began to glow with pure white light. "It's hatching!" she announced. Everyone turned to watch, even Mikoto, as the shell broke away and the white light took form. When the light faded, everyone stared at the Pokémon in silence.

Misaki was in shock, while the corners of Mikoto's mouth twitched.

A shabby, old-looking fish-like Pokémon with a light brown body covered in dark, irregular spots sat on the pillow. It had large, deep-set eyes and big, pink lips. The tail and pectoral fins were dull blue and tattered in appearance. Its dorsal fin was triangular with a hole in the middle. It looked around, noticed the small fish tank, and jumped off the table into it. After a few very short laps, it rose to the surface and stared at Misaki. Mikoto held up her Pokédex to see what it was.

"Feebas, the Fish Pokémon. Although extremely ragged, it is a tough Pokémon that can live in almost any kind of water." There was some muttering from the others girls in class, which did not sooth Misaki's mood.

"That's an… interesting Pokémon," Mikoto commented, doing her absolute best to keep her face passive and tone neutral.

"A Feebas, huh," their teacher added, squatting down next to the tank. "Not the rarest of Pokémon, but your Pokédex is right about its vitality. Being able to live in almost an aquatic environment, able to eat almost anything, scientists really like to study it and find out how it's so hardy."

"I'm… just surprised it hatched from a rainbow colored egg," Misaki said to her. "Usually, the eggs correspond to the Pokémon."

"I wonder." She moved next to Misaki and whispered into her ear. Misaki frowned and then her eyes widened. She glanced down at her Pokédex and seemed to be looking something up.

"You're right," Misaki whispered in a tone so low Mikoto was barely able to hear it. "Thanks for pointing that out."

 _I remember hearing about Feebas,_ Mikoto thought. _They are like Magikarp in a lot of ways. No one wants them. Maybe sensei is trying to cheer her up. Either way, I totally have this in the bag._ A couple of the girls were looking at their own Pokédex and pointing between the two Pokémon, while Mikoto's teacher walked around, answering questions and quizzing them on basic breeding knowledge. "So," Mikoto said to Misaki. "Looks like our friendly wager is in the bag."

"Yes," Misaki agreed. "I'm glad you are going to be a good sport when you lose."

"Me?"

"It takes maturity for someone to admit they lost."

"I was worried about you," Mikoto snapped. "Shinx and I are going to show you have to train a Pokémon." She glanced over at Shinx, who had walked to the edge of the table and was glaring at Feebas, who seemed to be glaring back. "You can't deny we have the advantage."

"You only see what is right in front of your eyes," Misaki commented mildly and held a hand up to her mouth. "You miss the big picture."

"Wha-…?" Mikoto was interrupted by the light blue glow originating from Shinx. She turned just in time to see Feebas leap out of the water, high into the air, and open its mouth. While the blast of electricity fired from Shinx, a beam of purple fire erupted from Feebas's mouth. The attacks collided in midair and a blast of air hit everyone in the room.

"Shinx!" Mikoto cried out.

"Feebas!" Misaki reprimanded. The two Pokémon stopped fighting and looked at their trainers guiltily, after Feebas landed back in the basin. Their classmates were staring at the two in shock, but their teacher seemed to be the most understanding.

"It seems you two have your work cut out for yourselves," she told them kindly. "Shinx and Feebas both have quite a lot of energy and come from interesting backgrounds. Feebas knowing Dragon Breath is certainly a rarity." Mikoto did not miss Misaki smiling at Feebas.

"Why did those two suddenly attack each other?" a girl asked. Mikoto was wondering the same thing.

"Several reasons," their teacher explained. "They could be territorial, possibly Shinx has the rivalry ability and they are both males, or maybe…" She glanced at Mikoto and Misaki. "They picked up something from their trainers."

"What do you mean by that!?" Mikoto asked, slightly affronted, while Misaki laughed.

* * *

"Who does she think she is?" Mikoto grumbled to herself, as she hiked along the edge of the river. "Trying to make her Feebas sound like an ultra-lucky draw just because we are going to be battling on a water field next week. Sure, water-types are useful, but electricity will just shock everything in the water, except for the rare water and ground combo. Those are annoying."

The reason Mikoto was outside the city again was to blow off steam and get a chance to train Shinx. Kuroko worked with a group called Judgment, which was a student organization that helped out around the city, giving directions to people, keeping the streets clean, and stopping fights. With her Abra finally evolved, she could do a lot more. Ruiko and Kazari were planning to hang out with some of their classmates, most likely for Ruiko to embarrass her friend with the story of Tropius. Mikoto had politely declined, secretly worried their friends might be a little star struck because she went to Tokiwadai. She figured she might as well enjoy some time to herself. The rivers were a lot less crowded than the lakes, so she didn't have to keep running into people wanting to battle. Next to her, Shinx was bounding along the rocky riverbank, while Magnemite flew around it.

"Okay," Mikoto announced and clapped her hands together. "I'm going to be relying on you two today." Shinx and Magnemite stopped to look at her. "Pikachu and Jolteon need some rest from the last few days, so let's take this opportunity to have some fun. Maybe catch another friend to join us."

"Shinx!" Shinx replied happily and seemed to be bounding around the rocks even faster. Magnemite buzzed and followed the new member of its team. Mikoto followed them, her expression proud. She had been practicing with Pikachu the most, to get ready for the double tournament, and then Jolteon, so it could get used to its new form and abilities. There had not been a lot of time for Magnemite. This was the perfect opportunity. Her gaze fell onto the riverbed Shinx was playing around in.

 _It seems kind of low,_ Mikoto thought to herself. _It hasn't rained recently, but it's not like we are in a drought. Heh, maybe a Pokémon should use rain dance._ She laughed to herself as they followed the river. Several fish jumped out of the water while birds flew overhead. Some she could recognize on sight, others she didn't. She was careful not to disturb any of the Pokémon hanging around the shores and trees. Shinx had almost caused a problem when it tried to shock a couple Sandile, crocodile like Pokémon, who were basking in the sun. Luckily they were ground-types, or Mikoto might not have been able to apologize fast enough to avoid a confrontation.

"Shinx! Shinx!" Mikoto turned to see what Shinx was doing to cause it to cry out. It was standing on a rock looking into the river.

"What is it?" Mikoto asked, heading over with Magnemite. Shinx pointed a paw at a small glowing object in the middle of the river. The banks may have been low, but the river was still deep enough for aquatic Pokémon to live in. Mikoto knelt down to try to get a better look, when a blast of water shot out from the river and hit her in the face. "GAH!" She fell backwards on her butt in surprise. Shinx and Magnemite immediately moved to protect her from whatever attacked her. The surface of the river ripped and exploded, as a Pokémon jumped out.

A small, round, blue fish-like Pokémon with a pair of tiny white fins and two small blue feet appeared. Its eyes had unique pupils that were shaped like plus signs. Two antennae are positioned on its rear like two tails and reached over its body to hand in front of its face. There was a yellow teardrop-shaped orb at the end of each antenna. It landed back in the water with a splash and then floated at the surface. Shinx and Magnemite didn't take the surprise attack lying down. Shinx's body glowed blue as it released Shock Wave while a bolt of yellow electricity shot from Magnemite as it used Thunder Shock.

Right before the electricity hit the Pokémon, the energy curved in midair and flew into the yellow orbs. They glowed for a moment and then nothing.

"What the…?" Mikoto didn't understand what she was seeing. The Pokémon was a water-type, it had to be, so electricity should be super effective against it. A ground type would still get hit by the electricity, but take no damage from it. This Pokémon actually seemed to have absorbed the electricity. She clumsily reached into her bag to pull out her Pokédex.

"Chinchou, the Angler Pokémon, they have the ability to conduct electrical currents from their two tentacles, which flow positive from one end and negative from the other. Chinchou can also communicate underwater by flashing its tentacles."

"It's an electric _and_ water type!?" Mikoto exclaimed in astonishment. "That means electricity should only deal normal damage… its ability! Volt Absorb heals it from electrical attacks. That is just ridiculous." Regardless of what she said, those words didn't match her expression. Her eyes sparkled and she was grinning. "Shinx, stay back, but watch the battle." Shinx nodded, even if it looked slightly disappointed. "It's in the water and Magnemite can fly. I promise you can have the next fight." Shinx looked slightly happier, while Magnemite floated down between Mikoto and the Chinchou. "Magnemite, Supersonic!"

Magnemite flew forward and its magnets began to vibrate and unleash a sonic blast. Electricity may not work, but sound attacks in water would. Chinchou obviously felt the attack because it grimaced and fired another jet of water, which Mikoto recognized as Water Gun. Supersonic must have had an effect because the aim was way off. Mikoto grinned.

"Steel Bomb while it's disoriented," Mikoto ordered. A white orb appeared in front of Magnemite and flew forward at Chinchou. Chinchou was too busy shaking its head to get rid of the effects of Supersonic to notice the attack. An explosion occurred when the Magnet Bomb made contact and Chinchou sank. A second later, it popped back up out of the water and began to unleash a torrent of high speed bubbles. There were too many for Magnemite to dodge and several bubbles exploded against it. Magnemite was pushed back into the air, but quickly straightened itself up.

"Watch out for the Bubble Beam," Mikoto warned. "Magnet Bomb again!" There weren't a lot of options available for her right now. Trying to tackle a fish in a river would be stupid and Supersonic only confused the opponent, but did no real damage. Magnet Bomb wasn't the most powerful move, but at least it did damage. The white orb flew at Chinchou, who dived down to try to avoid it. The attack hit the water and kept going before a small explosion went off at the bottom. Mikoto couldn't tell if it hit, but Chinchou suddenly jumped out of the water ten feet to their right. The orbs at the end of Chinchou's antennae glowed light purple and then a ray was fired. Magnemite was hit directly by the attack and began to fly erratically in the air. "It knows Confuse Ray?" Mikoto asked in disbelief.

Chinchou seemed to laugh at her confusion and dived back down into the water. Mikoto would see the glowing orbs at the end of its antennae heading up the river. "Magnemite! Quick, snap out of it!" Magnemite continued to fly randomly in the air and shoot off a small electrical discharge. "Dang it! Shinx, try to snap Magnemite out of it with a Shock Wave."

"Shinx!" Shinx replied with a nod and began to glow blue. The blast of electricity did snap Magnemite out of being confused. The electrical attack did not do much damage, but it was enough.

"It went that way!" Mikoto told Magnemite. "We have to find it!" She, Shinx, and Magnemite ran as fast as they could along the riverbank. Mikoto could just make out the glow ahead of them and then she realized the river was coming out of a lake. _Oh, no. If Chinchou gets into the lake, I doubt I can find it again._ "Hurry! Before it gets away!" They increased their speed to the max.

It was all in vain.

"Noooo," Mikoto moaned, as she collapsed on hands and knees in the grass. Shinx rubbed against in an attempt to comfort her. Magnemite was hovering over the lake looking for signs of the Chinchou. There were plenty of other aquatic Pokémon, so it wasn't having any luck.

"Shinx?" Shinx pawed at her arm and Mikoto glanced over.

"I don't blame you," Mikoto reassured Shinx, as she hugged it. "I get a little excited about electric-types and it was a rare water electric hybrid." She scratched Shinx's head. "You can't believe how happy I was when you hatched from that egg." Shinx nuzzled against her and then Magnemite returned, looking depressed, which was impressive as its face was an eye. "You did great," Mikoto reassured it. "It ran away because you were so amazing." She smiled. "It was pretty tough, but you showed it how strong you are." Magnemite's attitude seemed to improve. "Well, since we are here, might as well explore a bit." She started walking around the edge of the lake with her Pokémon, when she saw something in the river on the far side when she drew near.

A blue backpack was slowly floating down the stream and was about to reach the lake.

Mikoto picked up a stick on reached over to grab one of the straps and drag it to the shore. A quick look was all it took to make her frown. "This looks familiar, but it couldn't be…" Since the backpack was floating down river, there was a good chance he was up there. "Guess this changes things," Mikoto said with a sigh. "Time to find that idiot."

"Shinx" Shinx looked at her quizzically, while Magnemite buzzed excitedly.

"That's right," Mikoto realized. "You haven't bet him." She started walking along the river bank with her Pokémon following. "He's a… friend of mine and a really strong trainer. I haven't been able to beat him. Magnemite is close friends with his Rampardos. He's clumsy and bullheaded, but a nice guy. I'm sure he will be willing to battle with you, Shinx." Shinx seemed to be excited and bounced up and down next to her. "This is his backpack, so there is a chance… there he is!" She pointed into the distance.

Touma was floating on his back and seemed to have a leg stuck on a log.

 _What happened?_ Mikoto thought worriedly and rushed over. _Did he fall into the river or did something knock him into it._ Knowing him, even for only a short period of time, both were equally possible. She moved to the shore closest to him and removed her shoes and socks "Stay here," she ordered Shinx and Magnemite. The last thing she needed was to be shocked in the river. She waded into the water and poke Touma with the stick. "Kamijou, are you okay?!" She waited worriedly until he opened his eyes and glanced over at her.

"Sup, Biribiri," he said. "I was just floating on by."

Mikoto was not amused by his attempt at humor.

So she used the stick to free Touma's foot and he started floating down the river. He flailed for a moment and sunk, before managing to right himself and stand up in the shallows.

"What was that for?!" he demanded, sputtering water.

"For that stupid nickname and for scaring me half to death!" Mikoto yelled at him.

"I was disoriented and not thinking straight!" Touma yelled back. "And you were going to let me float down the river!"

"It's your own fault!"

"It's not cute when you blame me for everything!"

"That's…huh… Wha…?!" Mikoto was momentarily stunned and then shook her head. "Not the point! Why were you even in that position in the first place?!" She turned and marched back to the shore, determinedly not letting Touma see her red face. She could hear Touma splashing behind her as he followed.

"It's kind of a long story," Touma muttered. He started to ring out his shirt as best he could and then his eyes fell on Shinx. "You caught a new Pokémon?"

"It hatched from the egg I had," Mikoto explained. "Shokuhou-san's did too and she got a Feebas."

"Feebas?" Touma said thinking. "Oh, that fish Pokémon. I can see her not being entirely pleased at that. She always prefers the soft cuddly types."

"That much was obvious," giggled Mikoto. "Our teacher told her something to cheer her up, but I never found out what."

"Shinx," Shinx announced itself as it stepped between Mikoto and Touma. Its eyes narrowed at Touma and he felt sweat on the back of his neck.

 _Those eyes remind me of Shirai-san._

"I told Shinx you would be willing to battle him," Mikoto added, noticing their reactions. "But we are getting off topic. Why were you stuck in the river?"

"Hehehe," Touma chuckled. "That was a serious of unfortunate events."

"Is it ever fortunate with you?" Mikoto asked, as she raised an eyebrow.

"…no. Anyways, I was busy trying to find a water Pokémon, because due to the weather warming up, we are going to be practicing on a water battlefield."

"Heh," Mikoto snickered. "We are starting that too." She looked at him closely. "I take it Rampardos and Charmeleon don't prefer that kind of terrain?"

"Not in the least," Touma agreed. "Ditto can't be used for… obvious reasons and Riolu probably shouldn't be revealed to my class yet. He can battle in front of small groups, but they might be a little much for him."

"I can see that," Mikoto agreed. "Add in the fact Riolu is very rare, they would probably crowd around him in an instant."

"So I figured might as well try to catch something else," Touma elaborated. "Sigh, Aogami was right and I should have just caught a flying type. They are everywhere."

"Common Pokémon don't seem to suit you," Mikoto said with a smirk.

"Thanks."

"But that didn't explain why you were floating down the river." She held out his bag to him. "I found this by the way."

"Thank you so much," Touma said with tears in his eyes. "I was afraid I lost everything in it." He rummaged through it. "Putting things in plastic bags was a great idea on your part too. Nothing is ruined this time."

"Of course," Mikoto huffed proudly. "That's basic knowledge." Her eyes narrowed. "Now, _tell_ me why you ended up in that river."

"Right." Touma gave a quick nod. "I was up at the lake north of here, up on that plateau. Heard rumors about some interesting Pokémon living there if you take the time to climb up there. However, when I was climbing up the hills a wave of water came down and I was thrown into the river below. Not sure what happened, but if the lake is close to overflowing and a large Pokémon broke the surface, it would explain it."

"That's weird," Mikoto muttered, mainly to herself. "On the way here, a lot of the rivers looked like they were low and it's not like we received a lot of rain recently."

"No idea then," Touma replied with a shrug. "But…" He hesitated.

"What?" Mikoto asked curiously and leaned closer toward him.

"Absol appeared again," Touma muttered. "Right before the wave hit me." Mikoto's eyes widened.

"That's defiantly suspicious," Mikoto muttered. "I take it you lost sight of it after you fell?" Touma nodded. "Something has to be done about it, but it seems so powerful. It would definitely be a tough opponent."

"I really hope Rampardos doesn't meet it again," Touma sighed and Mikoto giggled. "Anyways, Misaka, what are you doing out here? Most people don't come this far out unless you are looking for something specific."

"I was blowing off some steam and giving Shinx and Magnemite some training," Mikoto answered. "Then we came across a Chinchou and it ran before I could catch it. We lost it in the lake back there."

"Tough break," Touma consoled her. "It happens. Not all Pokémon stick around."

"Yeah," Mikoto agreed, slightly depressed and stretched. "So, want to investigate since we don't have anything else planned?"

"Investigate?"

"Why you were knocked off that plateau," Mikoto explained impatiently. "Don't you want to find out what caused that wave?"

"I suppose so," Touma relented. "I got time and still should catch something while I'm out here."

"Great!" Mikoto exclaimed and grabbed his arm. "Let's go!" She rushed off, dragging Touma along with her, while Shinx and Magnemite followed.

* * *

"Think that is what is causing the low rivers?" Touma asked, pointing to the large mud wall blocking the main river leading out of the lake.

"No, that's obviously not what a dam does," Mikoto answered sarcastically. "It explains why the rivers are low and I bet the lake is filling up because of it too."

"That's not good for the ecosystem," Touma muttered and looked at the forest surrounding the lake. "It's going to cause massive flooding and force other Pokémon to relocate."

"Let's get closer and see what's causing it," Mikoto suggested and Touma nodded. They snuck along the tree line to get a better view at the base of the mud dam. A single light blue, bipedal, amphibious Pokémon was emerging from the river with balls of mud. Its head was broad and round, having little neck to distinguish it from the rest of the body. It had a wide mouth and tiny, black eyes. A wavy, purple stripe ran down its back. Along its spine was a dark blue fin. The hands and feet both had three digits. Its outer layer of skin is slimy and slippery. It used its wide tail to help pat the mud against the wall. Water was still spilling over the top, but if the Pokémon kept this up, the dam would be completed.

"What Pokémon is that?" Mikoto asked Touma.

"Think it was called a Quagsire," Touma answered, but held out his Pokédex.

"Quagsire, the Water Fish Pokémon and the evolved form of Wooper. Quagsire makes its home in clean freshwater lakes. Known as quite dim-witted, it doesn't care when it crashes its head against rocks or the bottoms of boats."

"…Not a word," Touma muttered to Mikoto, who had just opened her mouth. She shut it again, but her smirk was still evident. "What should we do?"

"It must be trying to expand its home," Mikoto replied. "But it probably doesn't understand the problems it is causing. We need to stop it and start breaking down that dam, slowly. If we do it all at once, the water will explode outwards."

"First things, first then," Touma said and grabbed one of his pokeballs. "We stop Quagsire peacefully if possible, but be careful. We don't know how aggressive it is…"

"Look!" Mikoto interrupted up and pointed in the direction of the river. Out of the river, Chinchou exploded from the surface and landed on the muddy ground near the small pool of water collecting at the base of the dam. It was shouting something at Quagsire, who was ignoring it. Chinchou was getting annoyed and its body was suddenly surrounded in light blue electricity. Multiple electrical blasts erupted from it and flew straight at Quagsire. The attack made direct contact, but Quagsire didn't show any signs of being damage. It didn't even flinch.

"That was Spark," Mikoto commented.

"Which won't do Chinchou any good," Touma finished. "As Quagsire is a ground and water-type. Water may be weak against electric attacks, but the ground part makes it immune."

"I know that," Mikoto snapped, as she watched Chinchou hit Quagsire with a Water Gun. Quagsire blinked and finally noticed Chinchou. It opened its mouth and fired a barrage of multiple balls of brown mud. While Chinchou could stand on land, it didn't have the movability it had in water and could not dodge. The balls exploded on contact and Chinchou was thrown backwards, as it cried out in pain.

"That was Mud Bomb," Mikoto whispered. "It's a ground-type move so it's super effective against electric-types." She frowned as she saw Chinchou being forced back into the water, while Quagsire went back to building its dam. Chinchou emerged from the water and shot another Water Gun at Quagsire, who continued to ignore it. "Why is that Chinchou so focused on Quagsire?" She glanced over at Touma, who was rubbing his chin.

"I think it's because it lives in the river," Touma finally answered. "And by Quagsire building the dam, its home is in danger." He stood up. "We need to do something."

"Wait!" Mikoto cried out and held out a hand, but it was too late. Touma had already emerged from their vantage point and charged straight toward the Quagsire.

"Hey!" he shouted and Quagsire stopped what it was doing to look at him. "You can't keep building a dam here! Don't you understand the problems you are causing?" Quagsire tilted its head in confusion. "You are causing the rivers to shrink, where other Pokémon live. The lake on the other side of the damn is overflowing and threatening to flood the forest area around it." Quagsire looked at the river and then back to the dam. Its expression didn't change much, but it scratched its face with one hand.

"Quag?"

 _I get it!_ Mikoto thought to herself when it dawned on her. _Quagsires are not the smartest Pokémon, so it doesn't understand what it's doing is affecting others. All it knows it is doing is building its own home. There are no bad intentions behind it_. She could tell Touma understood that too.

"That dam needs to come down," Touma told Quagsire. "I'm sorry." Quagsire didn't seem to take that lying down and fired a blast of water from its mouth into Touma's face, knocking him down.

"I didn't want to do it this way!" Touma declared and threw the pokeball in his hand. "Riolu, I need your help!" A flash of light appeared and Riolu stood on the muddy ground in front of Quagsire. This was Touma's best choice. Charmeleon was not strong against water-types, Rampardos would get stuck in the mud due to its weight and desire for physical attacks, and Ditto… well he won't use Ditto again with Mikoto anywhere near him, unless it was an absolute emergency. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mikoto moving up to his right. Quagsire opened its mouth again and fired another barrage of Mud Bombs.

"Double Team!" Touma ordered. Riolu split into dozens of copies that formed a circle all around Quagsire. Quagsire continued to rotate its head as the mud balls began to break the illusions caused by Double Team. When there was less than a fourth left, Touma took action. "Force Palm!" One of the Riolu copies broke free from the circle, causing the others to disappear. It ran up to Quagsire and pressed its palm against its chest. Before Quagsire could react, a huge blast of yellow light exploded from Riolu's paw. Mikoto could feel the power of the attack from her position.

A blast like that would have sent a normal Pokémon flying. The problem was, Quagsire was twice as tall as Riolu, much broader, and many times heavier. The force of the attack did not send Quagsire flying, but it was forced back a foot. The muddy ground also allowed Quagsire to sink its feet into it to act as an anchor. Riolu's eyes widened as what it expected didn't occur. It was used to the attack putting at least a couple feet between them. Quagsire wasn't very happy. That attack did some massive damage. An angry expression appeared on its face as it raced its arm up. The arm was then brought down with a lot of force in a slamming motion. Riolu's eyes traveled the motion of the arm as Touma shouted his next command.

"Counter!"

Riolu raised one of its arms and brought it up against the inside of Quagsire's arm. By applying force to the side of the blow, instead of directly against the attack, it took a lot less power to push Quagsire's arm to the side and avoid the blow entirely. Once the blow missed, Riolu grabbed Quagsire's arm with its own and used it as a floorboard to life itself up. Riolu made a backwards spinning motion and delivered its foot directly into Quagsire's jaw. The force of the blow actually lifted Quagsire off the ground and it fell onto its back. In midair, Riolu had let go, spun around, and landed feet first on the ground without missing a beat.

 _Wow._ That one word passed through Mikoto's mind as she saw Riolu fight. Touma had mentioned Riolu was his newest and youngest Pokémon, but it fought like they had been training for years. Its movements were so smooth and graceful, it was almost like Riolu was dancing. Her eyes traveled down to Shinx, who was watching the fight in wide-eyed excitement. _Right, this is Shinx's first time seeing a real battle. Magnemite has actually taken part in them before._ She also made note of the Chinchou, who was watching the fight from the water. _I guess it would be curious, as we are trying to accomplish the same thing._

"Quagsire," Quagsire groaned and got up to its feet. It did not look happy. "Quagsiiiirrree!" It stomped its foot and the ground began to shake. Shockwaves tore through the mud and Riolu flinched as the vibrations ripped through its body."

"Damn it," Touma growled.

"Earthquake?" Mikoto asked and he nodded. "Riolu, be careful!" She saw the determined look in its eyes and how Touma's expression never wavered. _Does he have a plan?_ The earthquake finally stopped and Riolu panted slightly. It looked back at Touma and nodded its head. Touma nodded back and gave the command.

"Copycat!"

A light brown aura exploded around Riolu, as it raised its foot. The second it stomped down, the earth began to shake again. This time, the vibrations traveled from Riolu and ripped through Quagsire. Quagsire cried out in pain as it tried to withstand the power. Touma wasn't going to let the perfect opportunity slip by. The second the earthquake stopped, he was already yelling out the next command.

"Riolu, finish it with Force Palm!" Riolu charged forward and positioned itself right in front of Quagsire. It brought back its paw and pressed it against Quagsire's body. Another huge blast of yellow light exploded from Riolu's paw. This time, Riolu aimed slightly upwards instead of directly forward. The force of the blow lifted Quagsire slightly into the air and then threw it back several feet. It landed on the ground and didn't get back up.

"You did it!" Mikoto exclaimed excitedly. "Great job, Riolu!" Shinx and Magnemite also cheered. To her surprise, Touma picked up a pokeball and threw it at Quagsire, who disappeared in a flash of light when the ball made contact. It shook three times before eventually going still. "You actually caught it?" she asked, surprised.

"I figured if we are going to break down its home," Touma explained, as he walked over and picked up the pokeball. "I should at least give it another. It's also seems pretty strong, so it would be a good partner."

"And you are both similar in other ways?" Mikoto asked with a smirk. Touma rolled his eyes at her and then they both laughed.

"Don't get mad because it's a ground-type and you can't handle it," Touma retorted.

"I'll have you know," Mikoto snapped back. "I have had a lot of practice fighting ground types. After the tournament, I'll show you how good I am at one on one battles too."

"There's no need to punish their poor Kamijou with your skills," Touma said and held his hands up. "I'm just trying to live a normal life."

"Normal life doesn't suit you," Mikoto refuted. "I've seen how skilled you are and yet you remain relatively unknown. How many _normal_ trainers can draw with the world champion, even in a mock battle?"

"You… haven't told anyone about that, right?" Touma asked nervously and scratched the back of his head.

"No," Mikoto reassured him, but tilted her head. "I figured you didn't want me too."

"Thank you, Misaka." Mikoto blushed slightly at the gratitude in his voice.

"I don't understand why," Mikoto spoke up. "If it was _anyone_ else, they would want people to know they were a strong trainer. It baffles me that you want to remain anonymous, especially after he treated us so badly."

"He apologized and gave you that stone," Touma pointed out. He held up Riolu's pokeball and returned him for a well-deserved rest. "And I'm not one to hold a grudge. I rather just go my own pace instead of people surrounding me, wanting me to constantly battle everyone. To be honest, I feel bad for Accelerator for having to put up with all that. If he loses once, everyone would suddenly start ripping on him."

"When you put it like that," Mikoto mumbled. "I can see your point." She still couldn't bring herself to like Accelerator, after what he said to her, but she could at least be a bigger person and not try to ruin his reputation. As Touma said, Accelerator did give her a Thunder Stone so Eevee could evolve. _Maybe it's a guy thing to act tough. Kamijou acted really protective when he found out what Accelerator said to me._ She flushed again. _Quick, change the topic._ "So how should we break the dam apart? Start at the top or weaken…" She trailed off when she felt the air suddenly changed and grew thick.

A pressure weighed down on her and her eyes traveled up the hill to the source.

Absol was standing on the ground next to the top of the dam.

"What is it doing here?" Mikoto asked nervously.

"I don't know," Touma replied, equally as nervous. "But every time it shows up, something happens." Mikoto saw him tension up the same way she could feel herself doing.

Absol stared at them a moment longer before turning its attention back to the dam. The raw power it exuded wasn't lost when it turned away. The very air was thick and heavy in its presence. The crescent horn on the side of its head began to glow purple. Mikoto's eyes widened when she understood what it was about to do.

"Get away from the dam!" she shouted. Touma was the closest, but he was at least out of the river bed. The only Pokémon within the danger zone was the Chinchou. As Absol's motives were obvious, Chinchou immediately retreated back into the river and disappeared from sight. Before Mikoto could breathe a sigh of relief, Absol jumped into the air and flicked its head so that a large purple crescent-shape blade of light erupted from its horn at the dam. The blade struck and cut right through the mud like it wasn't even there. The dam was virtually cut in half straight down. The water erupted from it a second later. It started simply as a strip of water exploding out of the cut, but the mud wall began to break apart and the water flowed out faster. More holes appeared as the water began to break apart everything.

The remaining dam was washed away by the torrent.

Mikoto and Touma retreated backwards in case the flood would escape the riverbed, but only a little bit of the grass was hit. The low river was now filled to the brim and the extra water would make its way to the next lake, where it would get dispersed among the other rivers. There was no sign of the Chinchou and Mikoto was worried. The force of the released water probably knocked it all the way back to the lake. Looking for it would probably be in vain. Mikoto suddenly felt the air pressure lighten and she looked up to where the Absol had been. It was done without a trace.

"Is that Absol crazy!" she suddenly fumed. "Who knows how many Pokémon could have been in that river?!"

"I didn't see any Pokémon get caught in the breaking," Touma admitted. "And with the river being low, the Pokémon migrated to the lakes." He frowned and started walking up the incline to the lake on the plateau.

"Where are you going?" Mikoto asked, as she quickly followed him.

"Just want to check something," he mumbled back and Mikoto shrugged at Magnemite. Shinx was bounding up the hill after Touma too. Mikoto wasn't sure yet if Shinx considered Touma an ally or someone to keep an eye on. They reached the top of the plateau in only a couple minutes and looked down. Mikoto gasped.

The lake was rescinding slowly, but the flood damage was evident.

A large number of trees had been knocked down, as the water either eroded the dirt or crashed against them. The dam Quagsire had made blocked the main river leading out of this lake. With it being blocked, the water had nowhere to go and continued to pool up. Several fish jumped out of the middle of the lake and that did cheer Mikoto up slightly. _At least they are okay._ She turned to Touma. "What did you expect to find?"

"I'm not sure," Touma admitted sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Just a feeling." He sighed. "Hopefully with the lake going back down, any of the wild Pokémon displaced because of it can return."

"You can tell where the water was beginning to flow off the plateau," Mikoto added and pointed. "Looks like that is why you got knocked into one of the rivers below. This area has so many interconnecting pathways."

"Least I didn't hit my head on a rock when I fell," Touma laughed. "That happens way too much for my liking."

"I think you are exaggerating," Mikoto dismissed and Touma raised an eyebrow. _If he kept hitting his head, I doubt he would be as active as he is now._ "But more importantly, this Absol. Every time it appeared, something bad has happened."

"Does seem that way," Touma muttered.

"The earthquake, you getting knocked down the hill, and now blowing up a dam," Mikoto said, as she counted on her fingers.

"I'm beginning to wonder if it's as black and white as that," Touma said, which surprised Mikoto.

"Why do you think that?"

"I can't comments about the earthquake," Touma admitted. "But the flooding was definitely caused by Quagsire's dam and blowing up the dam was the only way to stop it." Touma scratched his head. "Do you think Absol really causes the disasters?"

"Huh." Mikoto could see where he was going, but it didn't make a lot of sense. "Are you suggesting Absol can detect disasters and trying to warn people? Or maybe just you? It did appear in front of you three times already."

"No idea," Touma replied with a shrug. "Thinking out loud here."

"It's still probably a good idea to avoid it either way," Mikoto cautioned, but then she smiled. "Unless you want to catch it?"

"I think Rampardos just wants to fight it," moaned Touma. "He won't let me ignore a powerful Pokémon." Mikoto laughed, highly amused.

"I can see his expression if you try to tell him you won't fi-…"

"Chin?"

Mikoto was interrupted by the splashing sound of something jumping out of the river and landing on the ground. When the Pokémon spoke, she immediately turned around and saw the Chinchou slowly jumping toward them. "You're okay!" Mikoto exclaimed and then coughed. "I mean, you ran away from our battle because we were winning, but I'm glad to see you weren't hurt when Absol destroyed the dam." She blinked. "Hold on, was that damn hurting your home and you were trying to lead me to it?" Chinchou nodded.

"Huh," Touma muttered. "I vaguely remember seeing something glowing when I was in the river before briefing passing out."

"Did you save this guy?" Mikoto asked, crouching down in front of Chinchou. It nodded slowly. "You know," Mikoto said, as an idea occurred to her. "I really like electric-type Pokémon and you did save my friend. Would you like to come with me?"

"Chou?"

"You would leave this area," Mikoto warned and then held out a pokeball. "But you would get to see the a lot more and face off against strong people." Chinchou looked at the ball with curiosity, before poking it with one of its antennae. The ball opened and Chinchou disappeared in a flash of red light. Mikoto's eyes went wide. "Wow, I didn't think it was going to be that easy. When Magnemite and I fought it before, it was quite a fighter."

"Maybe it knew you would win," Touma suggested.

"Shinx, Shinx!" Mikoto turned to her previously newest Pokémon.

"Don't worry," she reassured Shinx. "I won't forget about you. We have a lot of training to do." She recalled Magnemite back into its pokeball. "But you only just hatched, how about walking with me back to the city? You can protect us in case that Absol returns." She pointed to Touma. "This guy seems kind of unreliable."

"Hey!"

"Shinx!" Shinx's expression was a combination of determination and pride.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **Riolu: Quagsire, why would you build a dam there? Did you ever consider the other Pokémon?**

 **Quagsire: Dam has to go were water is. Other Pokémon living in the lake get bigger home too.**

 **Shinx: Don't bother anyone again or my trainer and I will teach you a lesson.**

 **Quagsire: What lesson?**

 **Shinx: The kick your butt kind. I'll battle anyone, anytime, anywhere!**

 **Rampardos: Did I hear a contender!**

 **Shinx: …who are you?**

 **Rampardos: Your next opponent.**

 **Chinchou: Is this safe?**

 **Charmeleon: They have to learn eventually.**


	12. Aura of Success

**It's time. I figured I should do something special for the holidays and updating one of my side projects seem like an idea. This will be the last chapter before the tournament starts and then we will have several back to back battles. Not sure how much you, the audience, will like that. I get a lot more compliments on the slice of life aspects. The thing is, it's not Pokémon without battles. Not sure when that Absol is going to reappear again, as the next couple of chapters take place within the city limits. There are also going to be several familiar faces joining in.**

 **vietnamese guy: And the fact he gets called an idiot a lot for being dense.**

 **Cyber dragonarmy: One of the reasons I keep updating this story is it's a nice break from the seriousness of my other stories. It's just a fun little side project. Not sure when Pierce's fetish types will come in, maybe when Saiai gets a Lopunny.**

 **Formboy1: Think of how many Pokémon there are. It would be unusual to know every single one. I think I am going to do that with Tropius. Imagine it and Rampardos bursting out simultaneously. Birdway would be a long way off, if she ever gets introduced. I could totally see Worst being older, but it would be funny to keep saying Worst had an early grow spurt and everything thinks she's older. Miltank obviously belongs to Mii Konori. Brothers? Nah, look at his ability. Chinchou will be important later, but probably won't show up during the tournament. Did you like the fact it looked like it escaped? You must believe in the reviewer who believes in you. Absol vs… Rampardos? If Touma choses a different Pokémon, he's going to have some explaining to do. Oh, god, yes. Z-moves will be tough to get, as they aren't in the Alola region.**

 **Acpeters: As this story is shorter and more for fun, it doesn't go that far into backstories of other characters besides Mikoto. I use discord to discuss with people about what Pokémon would work best with each trainer. Mikoto just needs a good flying and electric Pokémon to round out her team. When Misaki evolves Feebas, Mikoto's going to eat her earlier words.**

 **WiliamZ0: People underestimate the fish that seem weak. Misaki only wants to surprise Mikoto with her beautiful Pokémon. Someone else recommended stockpile, but will have to see. Unaware was what I was looking at because it doesn't matter how much you buff yourself, you still get beaten. Shinx would be crushed by Rampardos, especially if it got serious.**

 **Bluejack222: It is a fun story to write.**

 **iZuikaku: I doubt I would do that. Touma is that fortunate. As this story is focused on Mikoto, Misaki won't have a POV.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: If you watch the anime, half the Pokémon come willingly. The battles are just formalities.**

 **hardestMetapod: Absol is really the perfect Pokémon for the main male characters. Gardevoir is already reserved for a specific person. Hamazura obviously has the golden Magikarp. With what Touma represents, he won't need a legendary Pokémon to win. He can win with any Pokémon. The Elite Four will come into place occasionally.**

 **Scarletrailgun: I plan to update occasionally.**

 **Lucy24: Well, the dragon disappears after a use, so having a pure dragon wouldn't be a good representative. If only there was a way for one of Touma's Pokémon to temporarily become a dragon.**

 **FrodoFighter: Here he is, the essay writer. Let's see if I can pick some stuff out of the recap. I take it you like Shinx? Shinx prodded her nose and went 'Boop.' Breeding gives some really interesting moves to Pokémon. Feebas, like Magikarp, is probably mostly bones and scales. I'll have to look to see if an electric Pokémon can learn grass-type moves. Solar Beam is used by a lot of different types. Friend means exactly what you think it means. I mean, Mikoto has to like Touma, or she wouldn't accept him as a mentor. Martial arts are the same in all genres and Riolu watches Street Fighter. 'Also because of him I could act really cool and impress you with my battle skills.' Hah, Touma bragging. No, no, no. Kuroko gets two Luvdisc and tries to use them to kiss in front of her and Mikoto. Things get messed up and it ends up being Touma and Mikoto. Absol did leave when Touma and Rampardos were in front of it. Maybe it wants something else.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or Pokémon. I wish I did so I could retire rich.**

* * *

"Will Mikoto Misaka and Misaki Shokuhou please report to the principal's office? Your mentor has arrived." The intercom interrupted the class suddenly. Friday afternoon had finally arrived.

 _It's time,_ Mikoto thought to herself and took a deep breath. Every girl in class turned to face her or Misaki. The two of them rose up together and turned to their teacher.

"You may go," she told them. "I expect by the time you return, we will already be at the training fields. Please meet us there."

"Thank you," Mikoto and Misaki said together with a short bow. They left and walked down the hallway toward the principal's office. _I wonder what it was like for him to actually get in,_ she thought with a combination of amusement and worry. Tokiwadai was a very prestigious all-girls' school. Boys were forbidden in campus, even all the teachers were female. Academy City's robots cleaned the hallways and classrooms, so janitorial staff was limited too. Even though Mikoto knew that Touma should be allowed in, if one of the security personnel at the gate didn't know or forgot, he might be turned away.

"I kind of wish we could have met him at the gate," Misaki voiced out loud and this wasn't the first time Mikoto believed Misaki could read minds. "It would have made things less nerve-wracking for him. I really would have liked to see his cute embarrassed face when he entered."

"Think he got in all right?" Mikoto asked, as she ignored that last comment.

"Obviously he did," Misaki pointed out sweetly. "Or we wouldn't have been called down. I doubt the people at the gate were oblivious to his arrival." She held a finger to her cheek. "If any girls saw him enter, the rumor should be spread around by our afternoon break. Otherwise, we won't have to answer questions until after we meet back up with our class."

"Great," Mikoto moaned. "It's not like I get enough people swarming me as is."

"One of the top grades in the year," Misaki pointed out. "And notably the best at practical examinations, it's no wonder. If your feminine features would develop, you might as well become an idol."

"I'm perfectly fine in my development," Mikoto snapped. "Big globs of fat would only get in my way."

"How rude," Misaki huffed. "If Touma heard you talking that way, I'm sure he wouldn't be friends with you, especially when you treat his childhood friend so poorly."

"You keep saying that," Mikoto refuted. "But from what I heard, besides helping that Eevee, you and he only hung out occasionally. I'm the one he's been hanging out with recently." Misaki's eyes flashed dangerously and the two of them argued all the way down to the principal's office. Once they arrived, the talking ceased immediately and they put up their proper attitude. They knocked and were quickly ushered in. Their principal was sitting behind her desk and, across from her, Touma was seated in the middle of three chairs. He turned around when they entered and waved nervously to them.

"Have a seat, please," the principal told Misaki and Mikoto, while gesturing to the available seats. Mikoto sat to Touma's left and Misaki to his right. Once they were seated, she continued. "I was just going over a few things with Kamijou-san here. I have to admit, I was curious to talk to him." Mikoto glanced at Touma's face and saw he seemed to be nervous, but not outright frightened.

 _So he's not being threatened,_ Mikoto thought. _But I really want to know what she asked him._

"As the three of you know," their principal commented mildly. "Tokiwadai is normally closed to males. This is an exception and, as such, certain rules must be in place." The girls nodded. "I already went over some of the conduct to be expected within these halls, but I also need to add a small stipulation for his presence, even if it is just this afternoon. As you are both being mentored by him, during his stay, at least one of you must remain with him at all times. This is to ensure no _accidents_ occur. Is this acceptable?"

"Yes," Mikoto, Misaki, and even Touma agreed instantly.

"I've known him for a long time," Misaki spoke up. "He would never do something unacceptable to anyone."

"I agree," Mikoto added. _If a girl tried to hit on him, he probably would try to run._

"I have no doubt of his character," the principal reassured them. "Not only did both of you give him a glowing review, his teacher gave him a very thorough recommendation too. I chatted with him a little bit and he does seem like a fine gentleman. It's just there are certain precautions I am required to do when a young man enters this school. I have no qualms about him mentoring you too and wish you all the best of luck." She looked at her computer for a moment. "You both have practical lessons now, correct?" The girls nodded. "I won't hold you up any longer. It's important not to miss lessons. Right, Misaka-san?"

"I agree, ma'am," Mikoto answered automatically.

"Excellent," their principal said and smiled kindly at them. "You are dismissed." The three of them stood up and right when they were about to exit the office, she spoke again. "Oh, Kamijou-san?"

"Yes?" he asked

"Do remember what I told you."

"I will, thank you." As soon as the door shut behind them, he sighed in relief.

"What was that about?" Mikoto asked softly, as the three of them walked down the hallway. Thankfully, everyone was in class and the halls were clear. There was only the matter of passing a classroom. Someone might see them, more specifically Touma. Misaki might have mentioned their mentor was a boy, but Mikoto only told Kuroko, Kazari, and Ruiko.

"She went over a couple rules with me," Touma answered. "Along with asking me a few questions about my experience with Pokémon and teaching." He averted his eyes from both of them, something they both caught.

"There was more," Misaki pointed out.

"Tell us," Mikoto demanded. Touma sighed in defeat. He knew they wouldn't let the subject die.

"She stressed the importance of making sure I understood what would happen if I did something… inappropriate… to someone here." Misaki covered her mouth to avoid laughing and Mikoto's eyes widened.

"Ah," was all Mikoto could mumble in response.

"Did you have any trouble getting in?" Misaki asked.

"Not really," Touma answered, happy to change topics. "I got a couple of suspicious looks when I approached, but a quick call was all it took to let me in. I was escorted the entire way though."

"Naturally," Mikoto said. "You know how many guys would try to sneak in here if they had the opportunity? Not that you would." She added that last part quickly.

"What Misaka-san is trying to say," Misaki continued. "The precautions are up for a reason. Just last week someone had a couple grass Pokémon use vine whip to try to scale the walls. It didn't work well and they were caught, but they try once in a while."

"There's no way I would do that, Mi-chan," Touma sighed. "Even if my luck wouldn't guarantee me a hundred percent chance of getting busted." He blinked when he realized something. "Would you prefer Misaki while I'm here?" he asked. "Or Shokuhou-san?"

"Misaki is fine," Misaki replied, waving over his concerns. "The nickname is really just between the two of us." She reached over and grabbed Touma's arm and pushed her body up next to his while they walked. Mikoto's face flushed and she felt a surge of anger well up within her at the shameless display. She reached over and pried the two apart.

"If you do that here," Mikoto scolded Misaki. "It's only going to cast doubt on him as a mentor. People are going to think you two are dating!" This bothered her a lot. _Obviously, they aren't dating, but if people think about it, he might actually agree._

"I wouldn't mind that," Misaki commented cheerfully and winked at Touma.

"Y-you…!" stuttered Mikoto. She wasn't sure why she was feeling so angry at Misaki.

"That's enough," Touma sighed. "Jokes are funny the first couple times, but Mikoto is right. While I'm here, we should try to act professional."

"Okay," Misaki relented and Touma missed her pout.

"Like your class did?" Mikoto couldn't resist asking and Touma replied with a groan. Inside, Mikoto's mood had drastically improved by Touma brushing off Misaki's invite to date. _If they started to date, he would have a lot less time to spend with me._ Her stomach churned slightly at this thought. _It really bugs me, but why?_ Every time she pictured Touma and Misaki together, her stomach churned again. _Do I really want him to teach me that much? Maybe it's because he became a friend almost overnight and I like spending time with him. Yeah, that's it. It would be like Saten-san or Uiharu-san suddenly getting too busy to hang out._ Something told her this wasn't the same, but she decided to worry about it later. "Friday afternoon here is really similar to your class," Mikoto informed Touma. "We do some practice battles."

"Though," Misaki added. "I don't think anyone will be in your league, especially if you use Rampardos."

"I have his pokéball wrapped up in duct tape to ensure he doesn't decide to jump out," Touma reassured both of them. He opened his bag and held it out so they could see. "He's done it before and I really don't want him to do it here."

"Why are two wrapped up?" Misaki asked curiously.

"I wonder," Mikoto mused, glad to know a secret Misaki did not, while Touma tried to mutter some vague reason without going into details. _There is no doubt Ditto would cause a lot of problems here._ The memory of seeing Ditto turn into her and kissing Touma caused her ears to burn. _How dare Ditto kiss… transform into me and kiss Touma._ She shook her head and forced herself back to the present. "What about Riolu and Quagsire?"

"You caught a Quagsire?" Misaki asked interestedly.

"Mikoto and I ran into it two days ago," Touma answered and Misaki's eye flashed suspiciously when she glanced at Mikoto. Mikoto responded with a smug look. "She managed to catch a Chinchou then too." He considered Mikoto's question. "It wouldn't hurt for Riolu to watch some matches and I could use some practice with Quagsire. With the tournament tomorrow, it's probably better for Charmeleon to rest up."

"Sorry I couldn't help with the training yesterday," Misaki apologized. "The Pokestop here finally got in a normal Vulpix and I had to pick it up. I'll let you meet him once we get outside."

"So you have four now?" Touma asked to confirm and she nodded. "I heard you hatched a Feebas. How has it been?"

"I expect Feebas to get a lot more experience practicing next week," Misaki answered. She didn't even question how Touma knew about it. "That's when we will practice on a water field."

"You guys have a water field?" Touma asked jealous. "We just use the school pool and add a couple floating platforms." Mikoto and Misaki seemed to grow quiet at this. Tokiwadai was obviously a much wealthier school than Touma's. Neither of them wanted to rub it in, since Touma would never have dreamed of rubbing it in their faces if the situation was reversed. "Oh well, I can always practice in the lakes. Gives a much more interesting battlefield when things keep changing."

"As a mentor," Mikoto reminded him. "You get to join us on certain trips and visit occasionally. You might get a chance to practice with us sometime." She liked the fact Touma was able to see the bright side of any situation.

"I'll make sure to ask about it," Misaki promised and beamed at him. She was in a similar mindset. "You would get to see us in swimsuits then." Touma started coughing and Mikoto had to resist hitting Misaki. They almost reached the doors that led to the training fields behind the schools when their luck at not being spotted ended. Mikoto glanced to her left automatically when they passed a classroom. By chance, one of the girls in the back row glanced over and her eyes widened when she saw Mikoto. Half a second later, they grew even wider when she saw Touma.

 _Oh, no,_ Mikoto thought. She had been hoping only her class would find out about Touma and then he could escape before the rest of the school found out. That wasn't an option now. Normal classes would get a short afternoon break and the rumor would have spread by then. _It was nice knowing him. At least Kuroko already knew he was coming so she won't misunderstand._ Mikoto underestimated her schools rumor mill. They reached the doors leading outside and finally stepped through. They weren't noticed immediately as they approached Mikoto's and Misaki's class, but once they were within sight, heads began to turn and they could hear girls chatting excitedly.

"Is that… a Gentleman?"

"How is a Gentleman on campus?"

"He's with Misaka-san and Shokuhou-san too."

"Didn't they get called down to meet up with their mentor?"

"Oh my…"

"How bold."

"Do you think they passed the trials? You can't become a proper lady without passing a certain trial with a gentleman."

 _Great,_ Mikoto thought, slightly embarrassed. She knew he was going to draw this kind of attention and tried to prepare herself ahead of time. It didn't help much. Touma seemed to grow ridged next to her, but Misaki seemed to be the least effective. Only an eyebrow was raised in response. Luckily, their teacher walked over and introduced herself to Touma, who managed to at least reply back.

"I know this is an unusual circumstance," Mikoto's teacher told the three of them with a smile. "But I'm sure you are well aware of it. Since you will be periodically visiting our class, perhaps you would like introductions? Afterwards, I'm sure my students would love to meet some of your Pokémon."

"That sounds fine," Touma responded and he followed her, with Mikoto and Misaki right behind her. A sign of how proper and well behaved Mikoto and Misaki's class was, the girls were already lined up neatly with their Pokémon partners. No one seemed to have more than one. Touma was ushered in front of them with Mikoto and Misaki. The girls introduced themselves one at a time, but Touma would be lucky if he remembered a handful of them. Finally, it was his turn. Mikoto watched anxiously to see what he would say. "Hello," Touma introduced himself. "My name is Touma Kamijou and.. er… thank you for the kind welcome. As I will be visiting your class in the future, I hope we can all get along and become friends…"

"He wants to be friends," a couple girls whispered excitedly and Mikoto fidgeted slightly at their reaction.

"…I may be a little inexperience as a mentor," Touma finished. "But I hope we can all learn from each other." The girls began to whisper excitedly and their teacher stepped up.

"He is absolutely correct," she told the class. "No matter how old you are, you will always have the opportunity to learn new things. That is something many people forget." She smiled at everyone. "I'm sure there are questions, but please limit them so we can resume class."

"Misaka-san," a girl piped up. "Is Kamijou-san your partner for the tournament tomorrow?" Mikoto knew this was going to pop up eventually.

"Yes," Mikoto answered. "He and I have been practicing with the help of Shokuhou-san and Kuroko."

"Amazing!" the girl replied and clapped her hands together.

"We will definitely cheer you both on!" another girl declared.

"Kamijou-san?" a girl asked timidly and he turned towards her. "Who will you be using during the tournament?"

"Charmeleon," he answered. "But I suppose since you brought it up, I might as well introduce some of my Pokémon." Many girls stared at him excitedly, as he pulled out three pokeballs. "Come on out guys." Charmeleon and Quagsire appeared in front of the girls, but Mikoto noticed Riolu was released next to him.

 _Makes sense,_ Mikoto thought. _Riolu would probably have a heart attack in front of so many people._ She also released her own and Misaki imitated their actions. The girls started to crowd around Touma's Pokémon. Quagsire didn't seem to mind at all and just let the girls touch him, but Charmeleon turned and glared at Touma with the expression he would pay for this later. Mikoto had to resist laughing at Touma's paling face. Riolu was sticking his head out from behind Touma's leg, but at least he was watching.

"Misaka?" Touma asked and Mikoto turned. "Is it my imagination or is Shinx staring at me?" Mikoto lanced down at Shinx, who was deliberately standing between them.

"It's just your imagination," Mikoto lied. Shinx was definitely glaring at him. _It's still so protective of me for some reason. Maybe I should battle someone to help it blow off some steam._ Her thoughts were interrupted when Misaki pushed between them.

"Touma," Misaki said in a bubbly tone. "I would like you to meet Flare." She gestured to the Vulpix to her right. This one was the normal reddish orange color, rather than white.

"Vulpix!"

"Nice to meet you Flare," Touma greeted and then turned to Misaki. "Does it get confusing with two Vulpix?"

"That's why I gave them nicknames," Misaki pointed out. "Snowy is the Alola Vulpix." Mikoto looked around and saw Snowy being complimented by a couple other girls. It was really popular because of how pretty it looked. Charmeleon was pretty popular too. Most of the girls had never seen one and it impressed them by occasionally using a fire attack. Jolteon and Sylveon seemed to be arguing again. Pikachu and Magnemite were chatting with other Pokémon. Mikoto might have imagined it, but she could have sworn she saw Touma's backpack move slightly, as if something was trying to move in it.

"Sorry about all the attention," Mikoto apologized to Touma. "Once they get used to your visits, things will probably go a lot more smoothly." Touma smiled at her and waved his hand dismissively.

"Everyone has been really friendly," he reassured her. "My problem is going to be when I meet up with my friends. Coming to Tokiwadai? They are going to tease me for a month."

"Heh," Mikoto chuckled. "That seems like Tsuchimikado-san alright."

"Excuse me," the quiet girl who had asked about Touma's entry said. "I don't mean to interrupt, but is that a Riolu?" She pointed to Riolu, who was quickly hid behind Touma again.

"Yes," Touma confirmed. "He's shy about meeting new people, but once he gets past that, he is really friendly." Touma turned around and crotched down. "She just wants to say hi. If you don't want too, it's fine." Riolu tilted it's head and then moved slowly around him to stand in front of the girl, who held out her hand.

"Riolu?"

"You are so cute," she told him with a pure smile. Riolu grinned back and reached up to shake her hand. Mikoto watched them for a moment. Riolu trusted Touma completely and Touma never once seemed to take advantage of that trust.

"Misaka-san," a lofty familiar voice said and Mikoto turned around. A girl with long black hair and an attractive and well-endowed figure, stood before her. Her most distinguishing feature was her prominent forehead which was flanked by two fringes of her hair. An unfolded fan in her hand was covering part of her face.

"Hey, Kongou-san," Mikoto greeted. Mitsuko Kongou was a transfer student in Misaki and Mikoto's class. Because she came from a very wealthy family, Kongou first appeared kind of a braggart. Once someone got to know her, they saw she was a very kind person. Though, she was kind of an airhead and had trouble with common sense. It didn't help that she didn't like to admit she couldn't do something. "Can I help you?"

"I was just curious about how he became your mentor," Mitsuko answered. "When I heard you had one, I have to admit I pictured a high class lady, perhaps from Tokiwadai High school. A high school boy never crossed my mind. Especially one so…"

"So, what?" Mikoto asked, as she tried to keep any accusatory tones out of her words. _I suppose this was to be expected. A lot of the girls here hold me up to some ridiculous standards. They would want me to be taught by some famous older girl. I'm going to put a stop to anyone who wants to insult him, even if it's one of my friends._

"Well… plain." Mikoto blinked. Out of everything she expected Mitsuko to say, that was not it. "I wonder, how did you meet him?"

"I was training and searching for my third Pokémon and ran into him," Mikoto answered. "It was completely by accident, but he helped me against a really angry Ursaring. After that, we met up again and I decided to challenge him." She sighed. "He beat me really easily and I realized he was the type of trainer I wanted to be." She motioned to Touma. Three girls were crowded around Riolu and Touma was talking to them. "He treats his Pokémon with respect, doesn't brag even though he is strong, and believes everyone has their own style, so he doesn't force his beliefs on others."

"When you say it like that," Mitsuko remarked. "He sounds pretty impressive." She smiled. "Our sensei does like to lecture you about catching a wider variety of Pokémon, doesn't she?"

"Tell me about it," Mikoto said with a sigh. _Seventeen times to date if I remember correctly._

"I don't see a problem though," Mitsuko continued and Mikoto beamed at her. "You still manage to be the top of our class and have come up with creative ways to fight types disadvantageous to you. I am catching up to you though. If you aren't careful, I'll surpass you."

"Oh?" Mikoto asked with a smile. "I look forward to it."

"Speaking of which," Mitsuko continued. "I see a perfect opportunity to test myself against someone you couldn't beat," Mikoto's eyes widened, but Mitsuko continued before she had an opportunity to try to stop her. "Kamijou-san!" she called out. Touma turned around.

"Yes, err...?"

"I'll tell you again," Mitsuko said loftily and pointed her folded up fan at him. "I am Mitsuko Kongou and I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!" The girls around her gasped.

"Kongou-san," Misaki interrupted. 'It's kind of rude to challenge a guest just like that."

"I am interested in what kind of person Kamijou-san is," Mitsuko declared. "And what better way than a battle?"

"Hmm," their teacher mulled it over. "I don't have a problem with it. I think it would be a wonderful learning opportunity to see an older student battle." She turned to Touma. "Of course, it's entirely up to you." Mikoto looked around and realized he wasn't going to refuse. Not with dozens of eyes looking at him with a combination of excitement and pleading.

"Sure," Touma relented. "I don't have a problem with it either."

"Excellent." The teacher clapped her hands together. "Everyone, please head over to field three." The girl started walking over chatting excitedly, while constantly turning to look between Touma and Mitsuko. As Touma made his way there, Misaki slipped up next to him.

"Why did you agree?" she asked curiously. "If you win, this will make you stand out."

"I could hardly say no," Touma replied. "I saw the way they looked at me." He scratched his cheek sheepishly. "They really wanted to see me battle."

"You need to win," Mikoto stated. "Since I lost to you, you can't lose to someone I know." Mikoto actually had another reason for wanting him to win. If he could show the others how strong of a trainer he was, no one would doubt his position as her mentor. The number of rumors would decrease and people would not look down on him. _Win and everything will work out._

"I'll try," Touma reassured her. "But battles can be unpredictable."

"She's so competitive," Misaki commented mildly and Mikoto glared at her. Misaki would naturally root for Touma, but she didn't care if he won every battle. She knew he was strong and all she was interested in was spending time with him. Mentorship was just a way for that to happen. "Isn't that kind of uncivilized for a young lady?"

"I don't know," Touma said with a slightly chuckle. "If Misaka wasn't competitive, we probably wouldn't be in this position. It's kind of cute." Touma didn't seem to realize his words, but the two girls did. Misaki pursed her lips together and frowned at the comment. Mikoto's face suddenly burned and she looked away.

 _He didn't mean it like that,_ Mikoto told herself. _Stop thinking there is some hidden meaning in his words. It was just an offhand compliment._ Her body still felt warm and Mikoto decided to steer the conversation in a different direction. "Kongou-san may be in our year," she warned Touma. "But she's pretty strong. Are you going to use Charmeleon?"

"I… don't think so," Touma admitted. "He needs to rest." Charmeleon glanced at him suspiciously and Touma gave it a curt nod. "Tournament is tomorrow. Don't want to risk him being tired. It's going to be a long day." Mikoto and Misaki nodded in agreement. "I wouldn't say no to having a practice battle with Quagsire."

"Quag?" The three trainers and the other Pokémon glanced at Quagsire, who was just following the group. It didn't seem to know what was going on based on the blank look on its face. That might not have been the best indicator, since its expression didn't change much.

"Have you had enough time to get used to battling with him?" Mikoto asked and Touma shook his head. "Why not use Riolu instead?"

"Ri?" Riolu asked and tugged on Touma's pant leg.

"Go on," Touma said and Riolu leaped up to get caught in Touma's arms.

"Doesn't Riolu get stage fright in front of unfamiliar people?" Misaki questioned.

"His fight against Quagsire was amazing," Mikoto told her. "So we know he's ready. This would be a good opportunity for both of you to fight in front of a crowd. Charmeleon obviously is fine with it."

"Shinx!" Shinx chirped and seemed to be addressing Riolu. Pikachu jumped up into Mikoto's arms to get a better view.

"Pika pi," Pikachu added and Riolu tilted its head.

"What do you say?" Touma asked Riolu. "I won't force or think any less of you if you don't want too. When you are ready, that's when we will do it." Riolu stared at him and then saluted.

"Riolu! Riolu!"

"I take that as a yes," Mikoto laughed. _It's so cute when excited._ She glanced over at Charmeleon, who was being flanked by Jolteon and Sylveon. _That looks familiar._

"I'll be sure to cheer you on," Misaki reassured Touma and Riolu. Both of her Vulpix looked up and nodded. Snowy knew about her trainer's attachment and Flare followed her lead.

"You are going to do fine," Mikoto added. "Don't go too hard on her or she might try to get a rematch."

"Sounds like that is from experience," Misaki pointed out smugly.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Mikoto denied. "I only battle to improve myself, not for petty grudges." She and Misaki began to politely jab each other, but Mikoto kept one eye on Touma. He was talking with Riolu silently, probably to raise its spirits. _Riolu looks really happy. They must be close, especially if Riolu hatched from an egg._ They reached the field and Touma parted ways to get in his position. Magnemite buzzed past Mikoto's head and seemed depressed. "Don't worry," Mikoto told it. "When we meet up with him again, I'm sure Rampardos will be around to play." Magnemite seemed a lot happier after that. Mikoto took her seat with the rest of her class on the bleachers overlooking the field. The girls were whispering excitedly, but stopped as soon as their teacher took the center.

"I would like to think you both for volunteering for this match," she said. "This will be a standard battle. Each trainer will be allowed one Pokémon and the battle will continue until one side is unable to continue or I call it off. Both trainers, choose your Pokémon."

"Riolu!" Touma said. "You're up." Riolu spring forward and got into its ready position. Mikoto flinched when she heard a bunch of girls behind her squeal in delight. Not only was Riolu a rare Pokémon, it was adorable. Mikoto's Pokémon also cheered for their friend, except Shinx, who was staring transfixed at Riolu. Mikoto couldn't figure out why Shinx was so interested in Riolu. It wasn't like with Jolteon and Charmeleon. Riolu didn't save Shinx and they were both male.

"It's time to shine, Ekaterina!" Mitsuko called out and held out a hand with her fan. From behind her, a large serpentine made its way onto the field. It was mostly black, but had several markings on its body. Yellow hexagon markings ran from its head to its tail, several small yellow bumps where it touched the ground, and various purple scar-like marks. It had elongated red fangs protruding from its upper jaw and fierce red eyes. The tail was partially red and had a blade-like shape. A red ribbon was wrapped around its neck. The Pokémon was a Seviper and it was much, much larger than Riolu.

Mikoto only knew about Mitsuko's Seviper, nicknamed Ekaterina, because they had been friends for quite a while. When Mitsuko transferred, her pompous attitude kept her somewhat isolated from the others. Once she opened up, a couple girls in Kuroko's class befriended her and Mitsuko opened up. Mikoto became friends with her not long after. Ekaterina was Mitsuko's only Pokémon when she arrived. Mikoto had battled against her several times, since she was actually quite skilled in practical combat. Sure, she and Pikachu beat Mitsuko, Ekaterina had beaten Eevee a couple times. Jolteon had fidgeted when Ekaterina slid out onto the field. Most likely, it remembered their previous battles.

"If both contenders are ready?" Mikoto's teacher made sure Touma and Mitsuko nodded before continuing. "You may begin."

"Ekaterina, Bite!" Mitsuko ordered to start things off. Seviper scrunched itself up like an accordion and launched forward. For something so large, it moved extraordinarily fast. It wasn't a serpent for nothing. Ekaterina covered the distance between it and Riolu and opened its mouth wide, those red fangs glistening in the sun.

"Dodge it!" Touma yelled. Riolu bent its knees and right when Ekaterina was about to sink its teeth into Riolu, Riolu sprung into the air. It flipped upside down and placed one of its pays on Ekaterina's head, before it spring off again, somersaulted a couple times, and landed daintily on its feet behind Ekaterina. The crowd gasped and Mikoto felt herself smile.

 _Riolu is as agile as I remember._

"Don't let up!" Mitsuko encouraged. "He can't dodge forever. Poison Tail!" The blade at the end of Ekaterina's tail began to glow purple and was swung horizontally at Riolu. Riolu was barely able to react and leaned backwards to avoid the blade. The blow swiped an inch above Riolu's face. Even though the attack missed, Mitsuko was grinning. "That's it! Now, let's stop it from moving. Wrap!" Ekaterina slithered over and coiled around Riolu. Riolu kept looking around as Ekaterina began to close in.

"Jump and Double Team!" Touma ordered. Riolu did what he suggested and a dozen images of it formed in the air above Ekaterina. Mitsuko kept glancing around to try to identify the real one.

"Use Poison Tail to find the real one!" Mitsuko called out, her voice slightly panicking. Ekaterina hissed and swung it's purple glowing tail through four of the illusions, but they only disappeared.

"It's open! Force Palm!" The images disappeared and only the Riolu to Ekaterina's left remained. Riolu bounded forward and placed its paw onto the middle of Ekaterina's body. A huge blast of yellow light exploded from the point of contact. The power lifted Ekaterina into the air and sent it flying back easily ten feet.

"Oh, no!" Mitsuko gasped in panic. "My poor Ekaterina, please, you need to get up." Ekaterina hissed and rose up to glared down at Riolu. "I'm so glad you are okay. What should I do…?" She trailed off and stared at Touma.

"Riolu has a lot of power," Misaki commented impressed. "You wouldn't think he could send something so much larger than itself flying."

"I saw it once," Mikoto agreed. "But it's still impressive. Looks like Kongou-san is beginning to panic." Mitsuko's biggest weakness was that when things started to turn against her, she began to get flustered and mess up or delay orders. It cost her a lot of matches against Mikoto when she started to fall behind. This was one of those times. _I used to do that too, but you can never give up until the end._

"Ekaterina… uh… use Flamethrower!" Mitsuko said nervously. Touma's eyes widened when Ekaterina opened its mouth and unleashed a torrent of flames. The attack was so surprising, Riolu didn't have a chance to react.

"Riolu!" Riolu cried out in pain as it was engulfed. The dust cleared and Riolu was struggling to get up.

"Excellent," Mitsuko cheered. "Let's finish this up. Use Bite!"

"Oh, no!" Several girls around Mikoto gasped.

 _Come on!_ Mikoto thought desperately and her hands clamped tightly together. _You can do this!_

"You have to get up!" Touma cried out to Riolu. "I believe in you! Counter it!" Riolu took a deep breath to settle itself as Ekaterina lunged forward. Riolu pushed off the ground with one arm and began to spin around, almost like it was break dancing. Ekaterina's opened mouth approached and then Riolu lifted itself up with hand. A single foot plowed straight up into the lower jaw of Ekaterina. The blow caused its mouth to slam slow and head to lift up and back. "Great! Force Palm again!" Riolu lunged forward and blew back its opponent with another well aimed blast from its paw.

"Ekaterina!" Mitsuko cried. "P-poison T-tail!"

"Counter!"

Ekaterina swung its tail and the dangerous purple blade almost made contact. Instead of dodging the blow, Riolu jumped onto the blade. It proceeded to run and slide down Ekaterina's slippery body and deliver a jab into the side of the head. Ekaterina fell backwards and Riolu leaped off to land back on the ground. "Try flamethrower again!" Mitsuko ordered. Her voice had lost all confidence. Ekaterina opened its mouth and a red glow formed in the back of its throat. Touma and Riolu made eye contact and grinned.

"Copycat!" Touma yelled out. A red aura formed around Riolu and it opened its mouth.

"Riolu!" Flamethrowers flew from both Pokémon and collided perfectly in between them. The fire combined and then exploded. The shockwave of the explosion collided with them and threw them both backwards. Riolu, being smaller and lighter, was able to ride the shockwave without much trouble. Ekaterina, being a large snake, was not as lucky. It slammed against the ground and laid motionless.

"Ekaterina! Nooo!" Mitsuko rushed onto the field to check on her partner. The teacher looked over and checked the status of Ekaterina.

"Seviper is unable to battle!" she declared. "The winner of this match is Riolu!"

"You did it!" Touma congratulated and Riolu grinned at him. The group of girls watching started clapping loudly. Mikoto wanted to yell out in congratulations too, but resisted the urge. They were taught, when spectating, they were to keep a calm and collective demeanor. The only exception to this was during battle, when one would be worried about their friend and partner. Mitsuko recalled Ekaterina into its pokeball and Touma was about to do the same for Riolu, when he froze. The girls who were about to start heading down to the field began to stop as they noticed. Mikoto's eyes widened when she saw it. Even the teacher had paused.

Riolu was beginning to glow.

Once its entire body was enshrined with bright white light, the shape began to change. The outline grew taller, nearly double Riolu's height, before fading away. A completely different bipedal, canine-like Pokémon stood in Riolu's place. The color scheme was similar, with its fur being predominantly black and blue. It possessed a short, round spike on the back of each forepaw, in addition to a third on its chest. Its snout and ears had grown longer. When its mouth is open, two pairs of pointed teeth were visible in the upper and lower jaw. The fur on its torso was cream-colored and the blue fur on its thighs resembled shorts. There was a medium length tail of the same blue color as well and it stood on its toes rather than on its entire foot. Mikoto was not the only one to pull out her Pokédex. Nearly every girl who had been watching the battle pulled out theirs too, even Touma pulled out his.

"Lucario, the Aura Pokémon, and the evolved form of Riolu. By sensing the aura of its opponents, Lucario can read their thoughts and movements."

 _It evolved,_ Mikoto thought and continued to scan the information on her Pokédex. It turned out Riolu has to have a very strong bond with its trainer or it won't evolve, regardless of its level. _Heh, that makes sense. Kamijou seems to have a close bond with all of his Pokémon._ The girls around her began to whisper.

"That Lucario looks so cool!"

"But Riolu was adorable."

"I think he's looking this way."

Mikoto glanced at Riolu, who had crossed its arms. It did appear to have glanced over at them, but Mikoto was able to trace who the target was towards. Mostly, that was because Shinx was shaking slightly next to her, more in excitement over fear. _I wonder, since Shinx has the Rivalry ability, maybe it targeted Kamijou and Lucario?_ She grinned and reached over to scratch Shinx behind the ear. When Shinx looked up at her, she leaned over and whispered. "Don't worry. One day, we will beat them."

"Shinx!" It was now their bond and a goal for both of them. Her teacher raised her hand and everyone turned to pay attention. She waited for Touma and Mitsuko to join the others before continuing.

"That was an excellent match you two," she announced. "It was obvious you both gave it your all. Riolu's evolution was certainly a rare treat and I'm excited you all got to observe it in action." Most of the girl's in Mikoto's class only saw their own Pokémon evolve or watched a video of it. "Kongou-san, I hope you will learn from this battle especially. The match is never over until someone wins. You became overconfident when you surprised your opponents."

"Yes, sensei," Mitsuko replied.

"That Flamethrower was really something," Touma said. "I didn't see it coming at all the first time."

"Isn't it?" Mitsuko asked and turned to him with a smile. "Ekaterina didn't have any long range attacks, so I bought her a TM. No one expects her to use a fire-type attack."

"I definitely did not," Touma agreed and held out his hand.

"It was a pleasure to battle you, Kamijou-san," Mitsuko replied to him and shook his hand. "I'm glad Misaka-san found such a strong mentor. I'll be looking forward to seeing you again for sure." Mikoto's head snapped and she found herself already moving up next to Touma.

"There was never any doubt," Mikoto reassured her.

"Don't forget," Misaki added, suddenly appearing. "I'm learning from him too."

"And I am pleased in your choice," their teacher said. "After that battle, I have no doubts he is an excellent trainer." Touma diverted his eyes and Mikoto grinned. "Everyone else," she continued. "Please pair off with someone different and start your practice matches. I'll be walking around to observe. Misaka-san and Shokuhou-san, I am interested in seeing you two battle, if you don't mind."

"Of course," Mikoto replied.

"It would be an honor," Misaki answered and smiled politely. The two of them walked to the field and Mikoto kept an eye on Touma. He was talking with the teacher and Mitsuko was standing near them awkwardly.

 _I'm glad Kongou-san understands how amazing he is,_ Mikoto thought. _But that expression, there's no way she would fall for him that fast._ Touma didn't seem to notice and that gave Mikoto a ray of hope. _He's a little oblivious, so that is actually useful here._

"Hey, Miiisaaaaakkka-saaan!" Misaki called out and Mikoto flinched.

"What?!"

"Flare really wants to battle," Misaki explained. "And he's new to battling. How about he and Shinx compete?"

"I'm fine with that," Mikoto said and internally grinned. _Shokuhou-san doesn't know Shinx's ability is Rivalry. Since they are both male, Shinx will get a huge power up._ She turned to Shinx. "How about it? You ready for your first major battle?"

"Shinx! Shinx!" Mikoto laughed as it bounded around excitedly.

"Sorry, Jolteon," Mikoto apologized. "We can schedule a rematch against Sylveon some other time." Jolteon nodded and then walked over to the side of the battlefield so it would not be in the way. Shinx bounded into the middle of the battlefield and Misaki's red Vulpix, Flare, walked onto the field too. Misaki signals she was ready and Mikoto nodded back. "Guess we can start it off, Shinx. Shock Wave!"

"Shinx!" A light blue glow surrounded it's body and then fired a large blast of bluish-white electricity at Flare.

"Quick Attack!" Misaki ordered. Flare darted forward and left a trail of white light behind it. The electricity hit the ground harmlessly where it had been a moment before. Flare rammed into Shinx before Mikoto could shout out any form of warning. Shinx was sent flying back, but landed on its feet.

"Strike back with Tackle!" Mikoto called out. Shinx pushed off the ground and slammed its body into Flare, pushing it back.

"Ember!" Misaki yelled.

"Shock Wave!" Mikoto countered. Flare opened its mouth and sent a blast of fire from its mouth. It wasn't nearly as powerful as a Flamethrower, but the attack was still a fire based and could burn. Another blast of bluish-white electricity originated from Shinx's body and pierced the oncoming fire. The electricity kept going forward and made direct contact with Flare.

"Vul!" Flare cried out in pain as the explosion knocked it onto the ground.

"Are you able to continue?" Misaki called out worriedly. Flare shakily managed to stand back up and get into position.

 _Rivalry is really helping out here,_ Mikoto realized superiority. _Shinx's attacks are way more powerful. One more good hit and I should be able to end this._ "Leer! Let's lower Vulpix's defenses!" Shinx's eyes began to glow red. Flare flinched slightly, but nothing else noticeable happened. _Just a precaution. Now that Vulpix's physical defense is lowered, Tackle will do a lot more damage._

"Quick Attack!" Misaki ordered and held out a hand.

"Counter with Tackle!" Mikoto responded. Tackle worked better in this situation because the speed of quick attack would easily dodge a long distance attack like Shock Wave. Flare rushed forward leaving a trail of light behind it and Shinx charged forward ready to collide. Right before they met, Flare stepped to the right and Shinx started to move past it. Flare then bent its knees and lunged forward into Shinx's side.

"Shinx!" Shinx cried as it tumbled across the field.

"Use Ember before it can get up!" Misaki called out.

"Dodge, Shinx and try to use Shock Wave!" Mikoto cried, slightly desperately. There was no way she was going to lose to Misaki, especially in front of Touma. Shinx jumped to the left and managed to avoid the Ember flame by a hair's width. Shinx responded by glowing bluish-white again and unleashed a blast of electricity. Flare was unable to dodge from the sudden counter and was hit directly. Flare squealed and collapsed onto the ground.

"Flare!" Misaki cried and ran onto the field. "Are you okay?" She picked up Flare, who began to stir. "You did a great job for your first battle." Misaki signaled that battle was over and Mikoto nodded in acknowledgement. Shinx bounded over to Mikoto and she noticed it was looking for some attention.

"You did an amazing job, Shinx," Mikoto reassured it too. "We have to practice on how to anticipate opponents suddenly switching direction, but that just takes time."

"Shinx, Shinx!" Shinx cuddled up against Mikoto's leg.

"There's no need to pander," Mikoto laughed and reached down to scratch Shinx behind the ear. "You won, but we can always improve."

"Shinx did well though," Touma interrupted and Mikoto looked up. She hadn't seen him approach. Shinx immediately stepped between them. "Was this his first battle?"

"Yes," Mikoto confirmed. "We practiced some of his moves and that's how he can use Shock Wave so quickly."

"Touma!" Misaki whined. "We tried so hard but we still lost."

"You did fine." Touma turned and reassured her. "It's Flare's first match, right?" Misaki nodded. "And you always said battles didn't really interest you. You wanted to be a performer."

"Aww," Misaki cooed. "You remembered." She reached over and grabbed Touma's arm. "I still should learn how to battle. Some contests in different regions require them. How about going over with me on how to improve?"

"I could try, I guess," Touma answered. "Not sure how much I can do."

"Anything you could do to help would be appreciated." She grabbed his arm and pulled him away from Mikoto. Before they were too far away, Misaki turned and winked at Mikoto. It was then Mikoto noticed Flare seemed to be fine and was grinning at her. It all made sense at that moment.

 _She's only pretending to be upset!_ Mikoto fumed angrily. _That Vulpix might have even thrown the fight on purpose! Great, she's got another manipulative Pokémon._ Because of the situation, Misaki could ask for some private lessons, which was the point of the mentorship program. Mikoto really wanted to scream, but etiquette refused to allow that. All she could do was continue the class like normal. There was no way Mikoto was going to let Misaki get to her. Mikoto spent the rest of the class alternating between her Pokémon. Jolteon had two new moves now she had to practice with, Pin Missile and Thunder Shock, which replaced Sand Attack and Swift. Magnemite was also improving quickly. Mikoto really wanted to use Chinchou, but she was going to wait until they had a water field. Eventually, their teacher warned them there was only ten minutes left until the end of day bell range.

"I got permission to head out," Touma told Mikoto and Misaki. "Your teacher seems to believe it will be easier to leave before the rest of the classes let out."

"That's a good idea," Mikoto agreed. "You saw how our class acted around you, imagine the entire the school." She had to resist laughing when Touma visibly shivered.

"I hate to see you go so soon," Misaki added and pouted. "But I suppose it's inevitable. Thanks for the help today."

"Anytime," Touma said to her and she beamed. He turned to Mikoto and continued. "I'll see you tomorrow when we check in for the tournament?"

"Yes," Mikoto confirmed with a nod. "Don't forget to bring your A-game. I'm not going to settle for anything less than aiming for first place."

"Yes, Misaka-sama," Touma sighed. Mikoto glared at him and Misaki giggled. "I'm heading out. Tsuchimikado and Aogami wanted to do something after school." The look on his face made it clear to both girls what that meant.

 _They want to drill him on his visit here._

"It's been fun, Misaka-san," Misaki said when the bell rang at last and Touma was long gone. "But I have friends to meet and I'm sure you have something to do soon enough."

"What's that mean?" Mikoto demanded and Misaki laughed in response. She walked off and then Mikoto felt it. There was a dark presence in the school that was getting closer and closer. Instinct told her to run, but reason told her she was being silly. Her bag and books were still inside her classroom. She was about to enter the school, when the doors burst open and Kuroko jumped out. Before the doors closed, Mikoto saw a couple dozen girls waiting in the hallway. The shock prevented Mikoto from reacting fast enough to Kuroko's surprise attack. Kuroko's arms wrapped around Mikoto's stomach and Kuroko buried her face into her chest.

"Say it isn't true," Kuroko cried out in dismay.

"Say what isn't true?" Mikoto asked in shock and confusion.

"You and the ape are engaged to be married!"

Mikoto's mouth fell open in stunned disbelief.

She had underestimated Tokiwadai's rumor mill.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **Quagsire: Those girls were nice. One even gave me food.**

 **Charmeleon: I guess. I couldn't sleep because everyone was crowding around us.**

 **Rampardos: At least you guys got to go. I tried, but couldn't get out.**

 **Shinx: Tell your trainer to stop kissing up to mine. He's unreliable.**

 **Lucario: Nonsense. Their auras are a perfect match.**

 **Flare: Don't go writing off my trainer. She would be a much better match for him.**

 **Shinx: She can have him and Lucario, you're crazy. Fight me, I'll prove you wrong.**

 **Pikachu: Is this going to be a repeat of you and Rampardos?**

 **Shinx: He got a lucky hit in.**

 **Magnemite: And it sent you crashing through a tree.**

 **Snowy: Can't any of you act mature?**

 **Shinx: I can totally take on Lucario.**

 **Charmeleon: If you all keep this up, I'm getting Ditto to settle this.**

 **Rampardos: Bye.**

 **Lucario: I'm out.**

 **Quagsire: …ZZZ**

 **Flare: …?**

 **Shinx: Hey, wait!**

 **Jolteon: Are you ever going to tell me what happened between you guys and Ditto?**

 **Charmeleon: No, but it's why we are banned from all daycares.**


	13. Tournament Plans

**It took a little longer than I would have preferred to get back to writing this story, but I finally finished. The Tournament arc is now at hand and I've been debating how I want to do it. Naturally, I can't write** _ **every**_ **fight because then the story would go on forever. Instead, I plan to focus more on some of the specifics with overviews on others. Of course, there are a few matches that we have to see because they are just naturally better than others. Some trainers are strong, some are weak and it will be up to luck for our two main characters not to keep fighting the skilled opponents. (Heh, luck.) Will Mikoto be able to place first, or will she fall to an opponent at the beginning? Find out during this arc because it's not Pokémon without a tournament once in a while.**

 **SilentXD7: I considered both. Touma, as you have seen, has two Pokémon with potential to mega evolve. Not sure how to introduce rings yet, but as they have been shown to work outside the Alola region, it should be doable. I also researched the synchronization and primal evolutions in case a situation arises.**

 **vietnamese guy: Temporary dragon… glad you caught that. Absol does fit them both, but I'm kind of leaning toward Touma, obviously. Maybe they can both have one and face off. Yes, the Elite Four are obviously God's Right Seat.**

 **WiliamZ0: Never! Touma is not worthy of legendries. He will show others you don't need those kinds of Pokémon to win. Bonds are much more important. Remember, Touma Kamijou translates into Purifies God and Slays Demons. At some point, he will face off against Giratina. Probably. Mikoto and Misaki are also high class girls, so their arguments won't get physical, hopefully. Misaki will lose that fight. Komoe always is ready to help her students. Quagsire was mostly because Touma needed a Pokémon immune to electricity, and it kind of fit. Pokémon learn a lot from their trainers, so it's only natural. Rumors are going to cause Touma a lot of problems. If you couldn't tell, this story will pair Kamikoto. It's in the summary. Charmeleon was Touma's first Pokémon, so naturally, it's the leader.**

 **Jhallan: Hydreigon kind of fits someone else.**

 **iZuikaku: I suppose that's possible.**

 **Scarletrailgun: They did practice their teamwork, so they shouldn't do that bad.**

 **Formboy1: That story may get elaborated at some point. The Tournament will be fun, just have to finalize the main teams. I can see Shinx and Lucario being good rivals for sure. Lucario will kind of go with the flow while Shinx gets stronger in the process. Touma only needs a mega stone to evolve Lucario. Really should have Tropius and Rampardos fight, though Tropius has the type advantage. I think I will definitely do an early growth spurt Worst. Tokiwadai might be able to get a hole of a z-ring or megastone. Mikoto's performance could be a factor in that decision. Rumors tend to get out of hand really quick, so it was only natural when someone saw her with Touma. As a young girl, she's not experienced with love, so it takes some time to sort out her feelings. I was thinking of Youngster Joey with his top percentage Rattata.**

 **hardestMetapod: Battle-bond, mega primal Charizard with a z-move, obviously. Touma couldn't settle with anything less.**

 **G119: Your wish shall be granted.**

 **Guest: Nah, there is one girl who Mimikyu is perfect for. Last Order gets Pichu. I could see Worst getting an Alolan Raichu.**

 **Agent Nine: Well, it does have weaknesses, as Fighting and Steel don't cover everything. There is no doubt it is strong though.**

 **Tyrant-Fool: Nah, the thing with crossovers is sometimes you have to cut certain events out. Maybe temporary memory loss is in order at some point. It would be interesting to see Mikoto and Misaki trying to explain everything to him.**

 **FrodoFighter: Almost couldn't post the chapter until you commented. It's hard to not go overboard on misfortune since Touma doesn't have the Imagine Breaker, but I still want him to have bad luck. There has to be a lot of rules involves for Touma to set forth onto the holy ground. Since Mikoto is the main view, Touma doesn't get a lot of scenes by himself. Hmm, I should add more Misaki and Touma scenes. Never underestimate rumor mills in a school of only girls. With Touma involved, it's a hen in a foxhouse. Maybe Touma did promise to marry Misaki and forgot. Touching was included in those rules, because of the nature of the school. They tried dig before and someone used earthquake to get them out. Mikoto is working out her feelings, but the tsun is strong. Accidents happen on water fields when a Pokémon misses with surf or water gun, better to be prepared. You didn't mention their pokeballs were taped up tightly. Riolu evolves with friendship and Touma had that. It just needed to battle and get some XP to level. I feel you really enjoy adorable Pokémon. Yes, ojou-samas do not understand what trials really mean. Quagsire likes to be touched, maybe. When Magnemite evolves, Rampardos will have a harder time bouncing it like a ball. Misaki likes cute things, so her Pokémon shall be named cute things. Your comments to the small clips of conversations never cease to amuse me. Yes, Lucario ships Kamikoto.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or Pokémon. I wish I did so I could retire rich.**

* * *

"…so then," Ruiko explained and waved her hands over dramatically. "The Skiddo got spooked because of the Flamethrower and started rushing directly at Uiharu." She giggled. "Probably because grass-types feel safe around her."

"Saten-san!" Kazari protested indignantly. "It's not funny. If I hadn't dived out of the way, I could have been seriously hurt!"

"What happened next?" Mikoto and Kuroko asked interestedly.

"Well," Ruiko continued, an amused grin plastered to her face. "Oddish decided Uiharu needed protection, so it suddenly released Stun Spore into the air. The Skiddo was paralyzed, but then a Pokémon must have used Gust, because wind suddenly blew the Stun Spore all over the field. Nearly the entire class got hit by it, myself included." Mikoto and Kuroko had to stifle their laughter.

"Everyone was twitching on the ground," Kazari added, her face flushing.

"Seems like it was just a series of unfortunate coincidences," Kuroko pointed out.

"I think she planned it," Ruiko said and held up a hand next to her mouth in a fake attempt to whisper.

"Why is that?" Mikoto asked.

"Because right afterwards, Oddish evolved into Gloom."

"T-that was pure coincidence," Kazari protested.

"I wonder if paralyzing all those Pokémon gave it experience somehow," Kuroko said thoughtfully. "Battling isn't the only way for Pokémon to gain levels."

"Maybe today had all the right conditions for Pokémon to evolve," Mikoto suggested with a shrug. "You remember me telling you Kamijou had to visit our school as part of the mentorship program?" Kuroko's face darkened at this, but she didn't immediately blurt out anything, which Mikoto was grateful for. It took a little while to explain to Kuroko that Mikoto was _not_ engaged to him and marriage was not going to be involved anytime in the near future, even if Mikoto saw herself in a white wedding dress briefly.

"We were planning to ask you about how that went," Kazari said with a nod.

"I half expected Shirai-san to have complained about him already," Ruiko pointed out.

"He can't try any funny business with the teachers around," Kuroko huffed.

"He didn't try _anything,"_ Mikoto emphasized again. "He acted perfectly fine to everyone, though some of the other girls were a little… enthusiastic about meeting him." She paused for a moment before continuing. "He did get roped into battling Kongou-san, you two have met her before."

"Yes," Kazari confirmed and clapped her hands. "She had that really cute, Seviper."

"I think we need to discuss what constitutes as cute," Ruiko sighed and face palmed. Kuroko nodded and Mikoto secretly agreed. Ruiko looked up and addressed Mikoto. "I bet he won, right?"

"It was close at first," Mikoto confessed. "But He and Riolu had a lot more real battle experience then Kongou-san did. After Riolu won, it actually involved into Lucario."

"Nice," Ruiko said with a thumbs up.

"Wow," Kazari gasped. "Lucario is really rare and I heard it's really powerful too. Fighting and Steel-type combinations are unusual."

"He definitely impressed my class," Mikoto replied dryly. _Seriously, his first impression couldn't have been any more impressive. It was completely different when he first met me._

"Humph." Kuroko crossed her arms with a sour look on her face. "They don't know the real ape."

 _Neither do you,_ _apparently_. "How has your new Pokémon been?" Mikoto asked her friends, ignoring Kuroko's attitude.

"Unown's great," Ruiko answered immediately. "My teacher was in shock when he first saw it."

"How did you tell him you caught it?" Kuroko asked curiously, her attention being taken away from Touma.

"The truth," Ruiko said proudly and then grinned sheepishly. "Well… part of it. I told him about our trip to those ruins and that I caught it there. What?! It is the truth!" She defended herself when the other three girls stared at her.

"Can't argue with that," Mikoto finally admitted and then turned to Kazari. "What about that Tropius? Have you had time to bond with it?"

"A little," Kazari admitted. "It's pretty energetic, but there is a small problem…"

"What is it?" Mikoto asked and Ruiko started snickering loudly, while trying to cover her mouth. Kazari just diverted eye contact.

"I feel like we are missing out on the joke, onee-sama," Kuroko pointed out.

"The problem is pretty hilarious," Ruiko said between laughs.

"What are you-…?" Mikoto started to ask when her question was answered. A flash of red light appeared from one of the pokeballs hanging on Kazari's hip. A moment later, Tropuis emerged from the light, towering over the four girls. It was lucky they were walking outside. If they had been in a restaurant or dorm room, things would have been cramped. Mikoto and Kuroko jumped back in surprise at its sudden appearance. Ruiko scooted out of the way and giggled. She knew what was going on. _So Tropius is like Rampardos? It likes to burst out of its pokeball._ If that had been all, Mikoto wouldn't have considered it to be a big deal. Sure, a large Pokémon suddenly emerging could cause a little panic for people unfortunate to be nearby, but it happens. Most people were used to it. They weren't used to what happened next.

Tropuis bent its head down and started furiously licking Kazari's hair and headband.

"My head is not food!" Kazari cried and tried desperately to push Tropius off her. She wasn't a very large girl in the first place, so it was all in vain. Her friends were too busy laughing to help her.

"And this… keeps happening…," Ruiko tried to explain, as she too was laughing.

"Is she still using fruit scented shampoo?" Kuroko asked, finally straightening up.

"No!" Kazari cried. "I use non-scented now!"

"You know, Saten-san," Mikoto commented, once she was absolutely sure Tropius wasn't going to hurt Kazari in anyway. "I think you may be onto something about Uiharu-san being a grass-type attractor."

"I know, right?"

"Not funny!" Kazari declared.

* * *

"Send him in."

The door to an office opened up and a young man staggered in. He looked like an ordinary teenager with unruly blonde hair. Even his clothes were ordinary, consisting of a simple brown sweatshirt with jeans. He looked terrified as the door behind him slammed shut. His eyes fell on the desk separating him and the person in the office. The high back chair was facing away from him, so he couldn't see who was sitting in it. That didn't matter, as he _knew_ who was there.

"So," a female voice said and the chair slowly swiveled around. "Shiage Hamazura, do you know why I called you here?" A very attractive, endowed, young woman named Shizuri Mugino was sitting there. She had soft tea-colored hair with a tall and slender figure, easily discernible even with her sitting down. Her stylish clothing made her look like a model. She was currently wearing a bright short sleeved coat with a belt and checkered pattern ascot or cravat. Yellow stockings and a sweater were worn underneath. Shiage knew better then to take her for some dainty princess. One glance into her eyes was enough to cause his blood to freeze. A Pokémon was curled up in her lap, while Shizuri was gently stroking its fur.

The Pokémon's name was Furret and it was a tan creature that bore a strong resemblance to a ferret. Its most notable feature was its long skinny body, which was used for slipping through small openings. There were two brown lines on each cheek and it had cream-tipped ears. Four medium-sized brown rings decorated its tail to the middle of its torso and smaller brown rings were on each of its forepaws. Its hind paws are cream-colored instead, but all four had pink paw pads. People thought Shizuri kept it because it was soft and cuddly, but Shiage knew the real reason. That Furret acted as Shizuri spy for their organization. It like to rat out the people who were slacking and Shiage had been caught more than once.

"Er…no?" Shiage answered. There were several reasons he could think of, but he didn't want to give her any more ammo against him.

"Idiot!" Shizuri barked and Shiage flinched. "I know you're slow, but we let you join our team because you wanted a chance to make something of yourself."

 _More like I needed money and your group is composed of attractive girls,_ Shiage thought. _And you didn't give me much choice. You only wanted a gopher. Though, perks aren't bad._ Seeing several attractive girls around him constantly wasn't too bad. "So this is because I couldn't catch anything worthwhile?"

"So you did know," Shizuri said and her eyes narrowed. "Yes, you haven't contributed anything to the organization since you arrived, besides manual labor." She rubbed her temple. "Do you even understand what we do?"

"We capture valuable Pokémon for wealthy clients," Shiage stated. "While also providing security for Academy City so they overlook our less… scrupulous actions."

"And we do whatever it takes to get the requests," Shizuri stated firmly. "Catching wild ones is fine and won't draw attention, but sometimes it takes acquiring them from other trainers. If you can't even handle some wild ones, what makes you think you will be of use later on?"

"It doesn't help my Pokémon are weak compared to what you want me to catch!" Shiage protested. "How do you expect me to catch anything with what I have?"

"I gave you a rare Pokémon to help out," Shizuri pointed out with a sadistic smirk.

"You gave me a Magikarp! Literally _the_ weakest Pokémon in existence!"

"Ah, but it's a different color, so it is valuable."

"You probably gave it to me because no one wanted it!"

"Shut up!" Shiage's mouth slammed shut. "Listen, we are holding back on our activities until the next tournament dies down. We are using it to see what valuable Pokémon the trainers have and if they are on our list of desirables." She flicked a piece of paper at him. "Should you see any of these, mark down who owns them or where you found it."

"Is this all of them?" Shiage asked nervously glancing down. _Holy crap. These are either rare or really powerful. I have two freaking Pokémon._

"We recently got a request," Shizuri continued with a nod. "It's a little suspicious, as they have really worked on hiding their identity, but they are paying a lot for multiple Eevees or any of their evolved forms." She glanced over to the corner of a room where another one of her Pokémon was standing up after its nap. "If you suggest I sell Flareon, you will be in for a world of hurt." Hearing its name, Flareon turned its head and yawned.

Flareon, like the other Eevee evolutions, was a mammalian, quadruped Pokémon covered in short, reddish-orange fur. It had long ears, dark eyes, and a small black nose. There were three small toes and a yellow paw pad on each foot. Fluffy yellow fur formed a small tuft on its head, as well as its bushy tail and a mane around its chest and neck. At Shizuri's words, Flareon turned to Shiage and glared indignantly at him.

"I wasn't going to!" Shiage protested. He knew Shizuri treasured her powerful Pokémon. She wouldn't give them up without a fight.

"Anyways," Shizuri continued, enjoying making fun of Shiage. "Frenda and Kinuhata are participating in the tournament. It's giving them extra credit for the school days they missed doing jobs you failed at." Shiage scowled and Shizuri took the opportunity to enjoy putting him down again. "Your job, is simply to look around and find any trainers who may have Pokémon we desire. During these kinds of events, idiots are always showing off their Pokémon. It should be easy, even for you. We will hunt down the trainers at more opportune times."

"So all I have to do is find them," Shiage repeated. "I can do that."

"You better," Shizuri told him. "As incentive…" She turned to Flareon. "Give him a taste of what will happen if he fails." Flareon nodded and started to walk forward, its fur bristling.

"Flareon!" It opened its mouth and a glow began to appear.

"Ahh!" Shiage screamed and bolted for the door. He just managed to throw it open and dive through it, when a jet of flame sailed right over his head. He bolted down the hallway with Flareon chasing him.

"Never ceases to amuse me," Shizuri commented mildly. "It almost makes up for his failures." Her eyes narrowed. "Almost." She scratched the Furret behind its ears. "Frodo, time to wake up. I have a job for you." Furret opened its eyes and raised its head. Shizuri took out a collar with a small camera on it. "Follow Hamazura and make sure he does his job. Take as many pictures as you can to back up everything he does. Think you are up for it?"

"Fur!" Furret nodded and let Shizuri attach the collar. Once that was done, Furret jumped off her lap and dashed down a vent shaft on the ground. Shizuri wasn't the least bit concerned. Furret's body was designed to squeeze into incredibly tight places. In the wild, it would make its den underground and the opening was so small, almost no predators could get in. Furret may not have been the most destructive Pokémon in Shizuri's arsenal, but gathering information could be just as valuable as brute strength.

* * *

Mikoto could hardly sleep last night due to nervousness and excitement.

It was the day of the tournament and Mikoto even woke up early to double check she had everything. Usually, she was the one to sleep in and Kuroko would be up. Today, she was up before her roommate.

"Excited?" Kuroko asked sarcastically, as she sat up in her bed.

"You know it," Mikoto replied gleefully. "It's my first real tournament. I don't count our class ones." She grinned and grabbed her pokeballs. "Let's go. I want to get there early. There's going to be an exhibition match and we need to get good seats."

"True," Kuroko agreed. "And save seats for Saten-san and Uiharu." The two of them took off once they finished their morning rituals and took the bus to the stadium. Due to the numbers of applicants, the tournament was divided into several stadiums for the actual matches. The one they were heading to now was the main stadium in Academy City, where only the 8 finalist teams will compete tomorrow. There was supposed to be two famous trainers starting off the tournament. It was also the location where the teams would sign in. If they did not, they would be dropped and unable to participate. The crowd was already forming when they arrived.

"Want to go find us some seats?" Mikoto asked Kuroko. "I have to go sign in over there." She pointed to a different line.

"Okay," Kuroko agreed. "Message me when you are finish so I can give you the location."

"Got it," Mikoto said and waved goodbye. She got in line and waited. Time passed so slowly for her and she kept finding herself glancing around the crowd looking for her partner. _There's still time, but I can't shake the feeling he's going to be late._ About ten minutes later, she reached the desk. "Hello, I'm here to sign in. Can I do that if my teammate isn't here?"

"Yes," the receptionist informed her. "Can I please have your student ID?" Mikoto handed it over and the woman typed on her computer and printed out a piece of paper. "Here you go. It's just a refresher on the rules of the tournament. You and your teammate need to sign the bottom after reading it, along with a team name. Anything is acceptable, but please keep it appropriate."

"I understand, thank you." Being part of Tokiwadai, she was expected to have a certain degree of mannerisms. Sometime like an inappropriate team name would never have crossed her mind. She found a free table, read the rules over quickly to make sure nothing had changed, and signed her name along with listing Pikachu as her Pokémon. Once she finished, her eyes fell onto the ever increasing crowd size. A few faces caught her eye. Touma's friends, Motoharu and Pierce were chatting in line, while Seiri was talking with a girl who had long, straight, black hair. Mikoto vaguely remembered her name was Aisa Himegami from the time she visited Touma's class. It was kind of unusual to see someone in a miko outfit, but religion was integrated in the rest of the world, so it wasn't unheard of. Mikoto walked up to Seiri, as she didn't have anything better to do. "Hello, Fukiyose-san. Have you seen Kamijou-san today?"

"Is he not here yet?" Seiri asked and then rubbed her forehead. "Seriously?! That slacker needs to stop goofing off. Tsuchimikado said he left before we did."

"I saw him leave," Motoharu confirmed. "He mentioned he wanted to leave early because of his luck."

"Luck?" Mikoto asked. "I heard him mention it a few times, but I never got a clear explanation."

"It's just his way of trying to get out of doing his work," Seiri snapped at Motoharu. "If we buy it, we are just giving him a free pass to slide through life without taking responsibility for himself."

"Nonsense," Pierce said and waved his hand. "You haven't seen his luck in action. Pokémon act weird around him, doors mysteriously unlock allowing him to walk in on people changing, and banana peels appear out of thin air." He made a fist. "But dang it Kami-yan! How do you still manage to get all the attention of every girl?!"

"Yeah!" Motoharu agree and raised his hand in the air in a show of comradery.

"You two idiots are causing a scene!" Seiri declared and punched them both with an impressive one-two combo. "You two slackers aren't much better. Ninety percent of sensei's remedial classes have at least two of you."

 _I think you caused just as big of a scene,_ Mikoto thought, aware of all the heads turning to them. However, something was preventing her from interfering, like this event was supposed to happen. Still, she was about to open her mouth to protest the treatment of those two, when one of them opened their mouth and Mikoto realized why her feeling had been correct.

"Careful, Fukiyose-sensei," Pierce called from the ground. "The amount of concern you have for us could lead to some misunderstandings." He winked at her. "So, which one of us do you like?" Seiri cracked her knuckles and Mikoto turned away to face Aisa.

"Is what they said true about Kamijou-san?" she asked. "Does he really go after all the girls?" _he really doesn't seem like the person to do that, but he did run straight at me when we first met._ Aisa shrugged.

"A lot of girls do surround him," Aisa admitted. "But I have never seen him actually trying to get a girl to notice him. He usually helps someone out and then leaves." Her face darkened slightly. "His life is kind of like a galge and he's oblivious to the feelings of those around him." Mikoto pretended not to hear that and her mind turned to the other important information.

 _Why does it bother me other girls hang out with him?_ Mikoto thought in a combination of irritation and nervousness. _It's like when Shokuhou-san was getting all clingy with him. That idiot needs to stop being so passive and act more like the guy who stood up to the Ursaring._ "Thanks for letting me know. Guess I'll try to reach him and make sure he's coming to the right place." She wave goodbye to the others and left, before pulling out her phone. She tried to call him, but his phone went straight to voicemail. _Great, he probably lost it or forgot to charge it._ She sighed and put it away with a scowl. _Seriously, if he forgets, Pikachu is going to electrocute him every chance we get._

Time continued to pass slowly and the crowd for registration was thinning out. She did see Misaki and a couple other girls from their school, but Mikoto made sure to avoid them spotting her. She glanced up at the clock and saw there was only five minutes left for registration and Touma was still nowhere to be found. Mikoto mentally yelled at him, still able to keep her public demeanor up for the people around her. _Fine, people who are late don't get to have input in our team name._ Mikoto wrote it down along with Chameleon next to where Touma was supposed to sign. _You better be here! I can't sign your name!_

At last, with less than one minute to spare, she saw the familiar spiky black hair of Touma.

"Hey, Misaka!" he called out and rushed over to her. "Sorry I'm la-…"

"Talk later!" Mikoto ordered. "Sign this now!" She thrust the paper and pencil into his hand. Touma blinked once in confusion, but managed to sign his name. Before he started reading what he actually signed, Mikoto ripped the paper out of his hand and flew back to the receptionist desk. "Sorry it took so long. My teammate was running late."

"That's not a problem," the receptionist assured her. "We usually give a few minutes leeway anyways."

"Oh," Mikoto said, slightly dumbfounded. "Thanks anyway." Her face flushed in embarrassment and she quickly walked away back to Touma. "What kept you?" she demanded.

"Nothing really," Touma said sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, which indicated he was lying. "Just a small misunderstanding." Now that the rush was over, Mikoto noticed he was soaked.

"What happened to you?" she asked and then grinned. "Did you fall into another river?"

"No!" he answered indignantly. "I bumped into someone accidently and they got upset and had their Pokémon blast me with a Hydro Pump."

"That explains the wet clothes," Mikoto mumbled. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Touma waved his hand dismissively. "Happens more often than you would think." He grinned at her. "Why? Were you perhaps worried about me?"

"W-what?!" Mikoto stammered and looked away. She crossed her arms in irritation "T-there's no way I would! I only needed you to show up and be at peak performance so we can win this tournament."

"Of course," Touma said with a sigh. Mikoto felt a little bad for what she said. "We came this far, so let's give it our all. We can't let that training go to waste."

"Definitely," Mikoto agreed. "If you slack off, I won't forgive you." She grinned mischievously. "And neither will Pikachu."

"I get it! I get it!" Touma raised his hands up defensively. "I promise to give it my all."

"You better." They eventually parted ways, after Mikoto reminded Touma to turn his phone on. His friends were in one section, while Kuroko and the others were in another. Mikoto walked down the hallways at a brisk pace, aware the empty corridors implied the festivities were about to start. She rounded a corner and immediately collided with someone. "Ow!" Mikoto said from the ground. "I'm so sorry!" she immediately apologized.

"It's fine," the person she had hit replied. Mikoto blinked and saw a guy around Touma's age, maybe slightly older holding out a hand to help her up. He had shoulder-length dirty blond hair and was smiling at her kindly. His outfit consisted of a dark maroon colored suit with a white collared shirt, both unbuttoned, revealing a red v-neck under them. Being bigger than Mikoto, he had not fallen. "I should be asking you that."

"Sorry," Mikoto said again. "I'm running late and trying to catch up with my friends before the exhibition match."

"Heh," the guy laughed. "I was on my way too. Don't let me keep you. It's sure to turn out to be a good match."

"Right," Mikoto agreed and her eyes flicked to a Pokémon standing next to the guy. It was a quadruped, mammalian Pokémon with slender legs and dainty paws. Fine, Lilac fur covered its body. Its ears were large and had purple eyes with white pupils. There were tufts of fur near its eyes, and a small, red gem embedded in its forehead. "Is that an Espeon?" Mikoto asked and pulled out her Pokédex.

"Sure is," the guy replied. "He's one of my Pokémon."

"Espeon, the Sun Pokémon," Mikoto's Pokédex announced. "It uses the fine hairs that cover its body to sense air currents and predict an opponent's movement."

"My Eevee evolved into a Jolteon," Mikoto said. "Kind of accidental, but I'm not complaining." The guy laughed.

"Don't you have to meet your friends?"

"Crap, Kuroko's going to flip!" Mikoto turned and raced down the hallway, only slowing down to give the guy a brief wave farewell. The guy waited until she was gone before the smile on his face disappeared and his eyes narrowed angrily.

"Espeon?" Espeon asked.

"Keeping up the kind persona gets us more fans," the young man replied. "If I really wanted to hurt that brat, there are plenty of better opportunities to do so. For now, I need to focus on our opponent. It's time to take the spotlight from him."

* * *

"Where have you been?" Kuroko demanded when Mikoto finally found them. "You missed the introduction to the tournament, but you were almost late for the exhibition match."

"Kamijou was really late and then I bumped into another trainer with a really cool Espeon," Mikoto answered after she sat down.

"That dang Ape," Kuroko growled. "Keeping you waiting!"

"It's fine," Mikoto said and rolled her eyes. _It's like she tries to find the faults in him._

"He made it, Shirai-san," Ruiko said. "So it's fine."

"He probably stopped to help someone," Misaki stated and Mikoto jumped slightly in surprise. She hadn't recognized Misaki and her friends had sat down behind them. "And then a misunderstanding occurred." She giggled.

"Misunderstanding?" one of her friends asked.

"Oh, let's just say weird things happen around him that's not really his fault," Misaki replied cryptically.

"Bet it's not as funny as using Uiharu to attract grass-types," Ruiko interjected.

"Saten-san!" Kazari protested. "You promised you wouldn't keep bringing that up!"

"It's too funny not to."

"So," Kuroko said to Mikoto. "I heard the world champion himself is participating in the exhibition match." Mikoto coughed at this unexpected piece of information.

"Why would he be participating?" Mikoto asked. Luckily, Kuroko took her rise in volume as excitement, rather than frustration.

"I guess someone plans to challenge him for the title at some point," Kuroko answered. "This is only supposed to be a warmup, but the other guy is a really popular up and coming trainer. He probably wants to use this to test out the champ's skill."

"I can't believe he's actually here," Mikoto sighed, and her hand clenched into a fist automatically. Kuroko raised an eyebrow at her.

"Are you actually interested in him?" Kuroko asked surprised.

"W-wha-…?!" Mikoto could barely splutter in outrage. Accelerator was the biggest jerk she knew.

"While his skill is definitely impressive," Kuroko continued. "It's rumored his attitude is rather bad." She suddenly grabbed Mikoto's arm. "But even so, we all know I'm the only person to by your side." Mikoto sighed, grabbed Kuroko's cheek, and pulled. "Onneeeee-saaammmaaa!" Kuroko whined.

"So violent, Misaka-san," Misaki commented. "It's a wonder how Touma-kun can put up with your rambunctiousness." Mikoto really wanted to insult her back, but managed to keep her composure. Instead, she leaned forward to talk to Ruiko and Kazari.

"How long until the battle?" she asked them.

"Should be any second," Kazari answered and pointed. "Look, the announcer is stepping up on the platform.

"Finally," Ruiko cheered. "We were waiting forever so we could get these great seats." Mikoto silent agreed the seats were great. They weren't the first row in the stands, but they were only three rows up.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The announcer's voice boomed across the stadium. "Thank you for waiting. I am proud to welcome you to the exhibition match between two of the world's greatest trainers, hosted by Academy City. Is everyone ready to begin?" The booming cheer more than answered his question, even Mikoto and her friends got caught up in the excitement. "Then without further ado, let us welcome the World Champion, undisputed Number One Trainer, the Undefeated… ACCELERATOR!"

The sound nearly deafened Mikoto as the crowd began to cheer and chant the champion's name.

Accelerator swaggered nonchalantly into the stadium from the entrance to the left. The clothes he was wearing still had the black and white theme Mikoto remember seeing, but were a lot nicer looking, meaning he had dressed for the occasion. He wore a collared v-striped shirt consisting of a repeating black, white, and then grey pattern. Over it, he wore a long white coat with tan Epaulette on the shoulders. His hands were covered in skin tight, white gloves. He barely seemed to acknowledge the cheers as he moved toward the announcer.

 _Arrogant as usual,_ Mikoto thought and scowled. Her friends didn't notice, as they were too busy cheering with the crowd.

"And his opponent!" the announcer continued. "Is a famous trainer who has been making his way to the top of leagues all around the world. His achievements have been racking up and he will soon have an official match with the World Champ. However, he has graciously accepted this exhibition match to start off the tournament. Let's give a rousing welcome to the challenger, TEITOKU KAKINE!"

The stadium burst into applause and cheering, but it was a lot more subdued. He had his fans, but it was obvious Accelerator had more.

"It's him!" Mikoto gasped, when Teitoku walked out from the right side of the stadium. Unlike Accelerator, he waved and smiled at the crowd.

"Who?" Kuroko asked. Ruiko must have head, because she leaned closer to listen.

"The guy I met with the Espeon," Mikoto explained.

"Ooo," Ruiko gasped. "Do you think you can introduce me and I can get an autograph? I actually bought Accelerator's online, but I wouldn't mind his."

"He probably would," Mikoto conceded. "But I kind of… crashed into him, so he might not be keen on it…"

"You crashed into him?" Kuroko asked and face palmed. "You need to watch out where you are going."

""It was an accident!" Mikoto protested. "I was in a hurry to find you guys."

"They are going to announce something," Kazari said to the others. Mikoto, Kuroko, and Ruiko turned back toward the stadium. It appeared that Teitoku was getting the honor to go first.

"I like to thank everyone for attending this exhibition match!" Teitoku announced and a couple sections started cheering. "Today, I am about to challenge the strongest trainer acknowledged in our world. Whatever the outcome will be, I know it will be a learning experience for me, and I hope for everyone watching too." Everyone started clapping as Teitoku passed the microphone back to the announcer.

"You would think someone at his level would be a little more conceited," Ruiko commented.

"He sounds like a real gentleman," Kazari replied.

"Uh oh," Ruiko laughed. "Someone's star-struck."

"I'm not," Kazari protested. "It's just a fact."

"What do you think of him?" Kuroko asked Mikoto.

"Well-…" Mikoto started to respond, but she was interrupted by the crowd's cheering again when Accelerator was given the microphone.

"You should all be grateful!" Accelerator declared to the crowd. "As I welcome you all to my stage where I will once against demonstrate why I am the number one!" He held up his free hand and stuck a single finger up into the air. The crowd went wild. "I bet you all are excited to witness my strength first hand." He pointed to Teitoku. "You may be strong where you come from, but I'm about to show you what it's like in the big leagues!' Teitoku only chuckled.

"Some heated words," the announcer said, after taking back the mic. "Who will come out on top? Now, while these two take the field, I'm going to go over the rules of this match for the crowd." Accelerator and Kakine nodded, before making their way toward the opposite sides of the battlefield.

"That… was more like what I expected of the champ," Ruiko admitted.

"How he has so many fans is beyond me," Kuroko groaned.

"He's definitely a jerk," Mikoto agreed, her eyes narrowed. Their seats were close enough to Accelerator's side, he was bound to notice her, especially since his eyes were skimming the crowd. _He's looking for someone._ Right when Accelerator was about to take his spot, his eyes met her. A flicker of a mocking smirk appeared on his face and then he turned toward his opponent. _I hate him so much! He thinks he is so much better than everyone else._

"Both trainers have taken their positions!" The announcer declared. "Let's have the champion have the honor of starting us off!" The crowd erupted into cheers. Accelerator skimmed the crowd one last time before grabbing the purple and white pokeball on his hip. He held it up to the cheers and then tossed it into grass field in front of him. Mikoto knew which Pokemon he would choose, long before the light faded away.

Mewtwo stood tall, its arms crossed.

"And there it is folks!" the announcer yelled out over the audience thundering approval. "The Pokémon the champion is most famous for…. MEWTWO!"

"Awesome!" Ruiko exclaimed and held up her Pokédex. She wasn't the only one. Mikoto saw countless people holding up their own.

"It looks so angry," Kazari commented, with a trace of concern. "Is that normal?"

"Well it is supposed to have a savage heart," Kuroko answered. "But it's a one of a kind Pokémon, so it's not like we can really check to see if there are differences."

"Kakine-san is going to have to go all out," Mikoto added. "Mewtwo is not a joke." _Even Kamijou had only been able to tie._

"He doesn't look that worried," Ruiko realized and actually pointed toward Teitoku. Mikoto noticed he did look oddly calm for facing one of the most powerful Pokémon.

"And who will Teitoku Kakine chose to combat Mewtwo?!" asked the announcer rhetorically. Teitoku pulled out a pokeball, tossed it into the air once, caught it, and then threw it into the ring. A flash of red light revealed one of the weirdest Pokémon Mikoto had ever seen.

It had tapering legs with a segmented, vertical, blue stripe on the upper portion. The abdomen was black with vertical lines, while the majority of its skin was reddish-orange. It had four appendages, one blue and one reddish-orange, on each side that appeared to be arms. The arms were moving fluidly into different shapes, and seemed to keep forming a double helix. A blunt protrusion with a single blue stripe was on both sides of its head. It's face was blue with a single purple vertical line splitting it in half. The eyes were white and were set inside black, rectangular eye sockets. In the center of its chest, there was a purple crystal. The Pokémon was floating about a foot off the ground.

"It seems like our challenger has found an equally rare Pokémon," the announcer yelled out excitedly. "The Pokémon from space, Deoxys!" Mikoto glanced over at Kuroko's Pokédex.

"Deoxys, the DNA Pokémon. It emerged from a virus that came from space. It is highly intelligent and wields psychokinetic powers. This Pokémon shoots lasers from the crystalline organ on its chest."

"It's from space!" Ruiko exclaimed. "That is so cool!"

"How did he catch it?" Kuroko asked.

"Probably in the right place at the right time," Mikoto said. "It appeared on earth, so someone had to be near it."

"It caused a ruckus a few years back," Kazari told them and the three turned to look at her. "When it entered orbit, it angered Rayquaza. I don't remember the city name, but it had taken a lot of damage from their fight."

"The dragon that lives in orbit?" Ruiko asked. "That's the one we were warned to evacuate if it ever appeared above a city?"

"Yes."

"Many dragon types are kind of aggressive," Kuroko added. "But I heard it hasn't been seen much since then."

"I am really interested in seeing Deoxys in action," Mikoto said excitedly. "It's a psychic-type like Mewtwo, so it's going to come down to skill and power, no type advantage." _Come on, Kakine-san, kick that jerks butt!_ Mikoto did notice that Accelerator didn't seem to be nervous at all about his opponent. In fact, he seemed amused. _Does he think a strong Pokémon won't give him a challenge? Or that Deoxys is weak? Whatever, as long as he loses, I'll be happy._

"Now that both trainers are ready!" the announcer declared. "Let the battle…begin!"

The clash of the titans was underway.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **I realized I should mention something. Some trainers give nicknames to their Pokémon. When they do, I usually have a reason for it. It might make scenes with multiple of the same one easier to write, it may fit a character's personality, or maybe I do it to annoy someone specific. Whatever the reason is, I do it. So I don't want to hear tons of questions about it.**

 **On a more depressing note, which I don't really want to leave at the end of the chapter, this story will probably go on hiatus a bit. I just haven't had the desire to write it recently and if I force myself too, it will be crap. I feel kind of bad leaving THIS cliffhanger, but it was the ending point I had planned for this chapter, even if it came a little earlier than previous ones. Some scenes just went faster than I thought they would.**


	14. First Round Bout

**It's time for another chapter. Sorry about leaving the chapter at a huge cliffhanger last chapter, but the fight would have taken too long to write out then. It flowed much better in keeping the chapter length consistent. The first Tournament arc began, because it's not Pokémon without them. Mikoto gets her first taste of the limelight before realizing how varied trainers truly are. There are a couple fights I'm looking forward to writing. I'm going to try to make the fights interesting, but different at the very least. I don't want every fight to go exactly the same way. The thing with Pokémon is that their moves are limited, so that gives me too options. One, the way they use said move changed or, two, have them learn new moves. I supposed there's a third with evolution in the middle of the battle like some cheaters do. Anyway, it's Mikoto's adventure, so it will be told nearly entirely from her point of view unless we take a look at an antagonist.**

 **Chen: He has an Umbreon. He used it to beat up a bunch of noob trainers a couple chapters ago. Yes, that was the plan. I was actually thinking of a different one for Gunha.**

 **Bluejack222: I have to be in the mood to write this one. Otherwise it's going to be garbage. It's more of a break story from my main ones.**

 **Formboy1: Rejoice! It has been updated. Well yeah, the Elite Four had to be them. As for Worst, I thought about it, and Mikoto needs a mean older sister. It's only natural. Need to look up some information on Mega evolutions, Z-rings, and battle bonds. Academy City would obviously have procured some mega stones and rings. I'm imaging that conversation between Kazari and Touma. Would end up with Touma placing his hands on her shoulder and saying, "You can't keep them in it. You can only accept it." Rotom lawnmower grass type would be funny. I don't know if I can be mean to Kazari with mischievous Pokémon. Nah, Hamazura is going to be like the Team Rocket. He constantly attacks Mikoto's group, but keeps failing. I thought long and hard of a team name. Mikoto wouldn't do something embarrassing to her and wouldn't insult Touma with the name like his friends would. She would do something she liked and I could add a funny comment to it. I feel someone doesn't like Teitoku.**

 **WiliamZ0: Fine, I'll try to answer your stuff. Touma will prove rarity doesn't matter. Anyone can be a good trainer. It's that kind of straightforwardness Mikoto likes. Charizard is the number one fire starter in every game. When Charmeleon evolves, all hell will break lose. I have Misaki to constantly be Mikoto's love rival, but yeah, more Kami-yan disease occasionally. Hamazura's role is kind of defined for the future, but one day. One day he may have the power. Touma's ultimate dragon near the end. Eevee's are great Pokémon, so all the level 7s need one. The joke with Kazari will occur occasionally, mostly that her Pokémon keep evolving without her battling with them. It's like being near her gives them xp. Everyone likes Teitoku, what are you talking about? Accelerator would hand her the trophy and then pretend to accidently drop it.**

 **G119: Might be a recurring theme.**

 **Guest: A lot of trainers' backstories will only be told if Mikoto finds them out. That means she will have to get to know Accelerator. Won't happen anytime soon, but it is possible. I will keep that in mind you are interested in knowing it.**

 **Guest: That's going a little deeper than when I had planned for this story. Accelerator will not have psychic powers, but how he met Mewtwo and Eevee is still up for grabs, so I might be able to use some of this. Teitoku will be in the same boat.**

 **Scarletrailgun: Their fight will be much better when they get a 6v6. This fight is just to kick off the tournament.**

 **a certain guest: I'm really tempted to do that now. Arceus will appear and Mikoto will be all respectful. Touma will just face palm and yell out, "What is it this time?!" Outside the city, Touma will let them out more often, but most of his Pokémon are larger, so he can't keep them out everywhere.**

 **WaterWhirl: Hmm, maybe Touma's family had been cursed by Hoopa long ago. Have to think about it.**

 **Deadpool099: He can lose. He's not invincible.**

 **FrodoFighter: The person who makes sure I occasionally update this. Great, you got me to sing that opening song. "I really hope Uiharu gets a Skiddo... just to have her ride on it cause that would be super cute." It is a grass-type, so definitely possible. Mikoto is not engaged to anyone. She can totally go out with random background trainer #24. Pokédex heights lie. Uiharu shall ride Tropius into the sunset. It can fly. Shizuri's Furret is indeed special. What she does with its soft and cuddliness is private. Hamazura has to grow as a person to get a red Gyarados. I can assure you Glaceon is nice. Everyone likes Teitoku though. He's just that cool and nice, unless you cross him. Aogami is indeed a smart cookie. What if Touma's denseness is all an act and he knows pretending not to notice girls makes them want him even more? That is genius. Mikoto's too young to understand the complicated feelings of love. You sure that was Biribiri vision and not Frodo vision? "Also if you hurt Mikoto I will make you get written out of the story" Umm, what? You're writing this? Why did you not tell me? Kazari x Teitoku is a good match.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or Pokémon. I wish I did so I could retire rich.**

* * *

"Double Team!"

"And it looks like Kakine has decided to start things off!" the announcer declared as the stadium erupted into cheers. It was lucky both contestants had mics clipped onto their shirts so the audience could hear the orders. Otherwise, they would only be able to rely on the announcer and what was happening on the field.

Dozens of copies of Deoxys surrounded Mewtwo, all of them slightly blurry. Mewtwo's eyes darted back and forth, but it was unable to pick out the real one.

"Don't worry about that for now," Accelerator ordered. "Calm Mind!"

"He's not going to attack?" Mikoto asked in surprise as Mewtwo's eyes closed and a faint purple glow surrounded it.

"I don't think he can aim properly yet," Kuroko pointed out.

"Yeah… but he likes to be aggressive right?"

"Usually," Ruiko agreed. "But he's not a champ for nothing."

"I guess even the champion can be defensive," Teitoku said. "Deoxys, Psycho Boost! Get rid of that bonus!"

One of the Deoxys held its arms up and a large ball of multicolor energy appeared. The orb than was absorbed into the crystal on its chest before an even larger ball of energy flew out from its chest at Mewtwo. A quick glance at her Pokédex informed Mikoto that Psycho Boost was a powerful psychic type ability known only by Deoxys. If it hit, the special attack of its opponent would sharply drop. Calm Mind increased Mewtwo's special attack and defense, so it would negate half of the stat increase.

The multicolor orb exploded next to Mewtwo.

"That looked like a direct hit!" the announcer roared. "Psycho Boost may be the same type as Mewtwo, but no one can deny that pure destructive power!"

"Looks like this battle is going to be over faster than I thought," Teitoku gloated.

"Yes," Accelerator agreed. "For you." The dust around Mewtwo cleared to reveal a blue sphere barrier protecting Mewtwo. "An attack like that won't do anything."

"Mewtwo protected itself with protect!" Ruiko cheered. "Keep it up, Accelerator!"

 _It's not really protect,_ Mikoto remembered. _It's just an application of Psychic._

"Shadow Ball!"

Accelerator ordered. A dark sphere appeared in Mewtwo's outstretched hand right before being tossed at Deoxys. The barrier disappeared right before the ball hit it and Deoxys was left wide open in surprise. The force of the explosion that formed on contact formed it back, but it remained standing.

"Ouch," Kazari said, wincing. "That had to hurt. Ghost-type abilities will be super effective against Deoxys,"

"Come on, Kakine!" Mikoto cried. "Don't let him win!"

"Onee-sama likes the underdog, huh?" Kuroko asked with a snicker and then cheered with Mikoto. "Take down the champion!"

"Come on!" Ruiko complained. "Accelerator's an awesome trainer."

"Both of them appear to be rather strong," Kazari pointed out.

"Double Team, Deoxys!"

Deoxys split into many images to avoid a second Shadow Ball. Accelerator and Mewtwo hadn't planned to let them recover and were planning to throw more while Deoxys was destabilized. The energy ball hit the ground and left a small crater with its destructive force. Mewtwo assumed a defensive stance, its arms held out, preparing to intercept. Teitoku kept Deoxys using Double Team, waiting for an opening. Accelerator was waiting for the chance to counter attack with a Shadow Ball. The stalemate continued as both trainers examined the other for weaknesses.

Accelerator's patience wore out first.

"If you won't stop being a coward, I'll end this in one shot." He held out his hand. "Mewtwo, blow them all away with Psystrike!"

 _I remember that move,_ Mikoto thought, as she found herself near the edge of her seat.

Mewtwo raised its arms out to its sides and a white force field, similar to the blue dome, formed around it. The light was blinding and only grew in intensity as the field began to expand. As Deoxys's illusions had been circling Mewtwo, they were all about to collide with the force field simultaneously. Mikoto knew from experience that once something hit the field, it would explode and wipe out everything around Mewtwo. She was worried and wished she could warn Teitoku. When her eyes fell upon him, she noticed something strange that filled her with hope.

Teitoku smiled and issued a simple order.

"Defend."

The entire field was full of a bright light as Psystrike exploded.

"Awesome!" Ruiko cheered, her arm shielding her eyes from the light.

 _Is Deoxys okay?_ Mikoto thought, trying to blink away the spots. Dust and smoke was covering the field and nothing was visible. _He wouldn't lose that easily to Accelerator, right? That jerk needs to be knocked down a few pegs._

"I think I see something," Kuroko informed the others. "Two shapes, so I think Deoxys survived that attack."

"No wonder Mewtwo is considered one of the most powerful Pokémon," Kazari whispered in awe. "That much damage with a single attack."

"Pure power isn't everything," Mikoto reminded her. "Strategy can overcome that difference." The dust finally settled and the crowd started up again.

"I don't believe it!" The announcer's words boomed across the stadium. "Deoxys is still standing! I can't believe… wait… Is it just me, or does it look different?" Mikoto blinked and rubbed her eyes.

Deoxys did indeed look different.

Over all, it looked a lot bulkier. Its legs had widened and now had 2 bluish-green spots on each knee. It retained its two pairs of red and blue tentacles, but they were flat and broad. The head had fused with its body and all protrusions were gone, causing it to resemble a helmet. None of the inner black portions were visible, now completely covered by reddish-orange skin. Mikoto wasn't sure if it had muscles and skimmed through her Pokédex for an explanation, but none came.

"What is that?!" demanded Accelerator.

"Deoxys is a shapeshifter from space," Teitoku bragged. "It has multiple forms. What you saw first was its Normal Form, which is relatively balanced in its strength. This one now is Deoxys' Defense Form and I'm sure you guess what that entails." His smirk widened. "It withstood Mewtwo's strongest attack with barely a scratch."

"So you're going to delay the inevitable?" Accelerator asked, unimpressed. "It was just one attack. Shadow Ball!" Mewtwo threw another black energy orb at Deoxys. Unlike before, Deoxys didn't even budge. The explosion didn't faze it at all. A small frown formed on Accelerator's face. "All you are doing is wasting everyone's time! It will eventually fall!"

"Then let's change things," Teitoku laughed. Deoxys, switch to Attack Form."

Deoxys's legs broke apart and then tapered together. Its blue stripes were no longer segmented and ran the entire length of the leg. Large spikes appeared on its knees. Two pairs of whip-like tentacles with pointed tips, one reddish-orange and one blue, replace its previous coiled, blunted tentacles from its original form. The protrusion on its head was now a triangular with an additional one extending from the top of its head. Most of its reddish-orange skin has receded, revealing a striated, black chest and abdomen. Finally, its tail was now longer and more pointed.

"Prepare yourself," Teitoku warned. "Deoxys, Hyper Beam."

A white orb appeared in front of Deoxys's chest a second before the laser fired.

"Barrier, now!" Accelerator commanded instantly. He wasn't the only who noticed the size of that Hyper Beam. The attack was one of the most powerful attacks normal Pokémon could use, but this one was easily three times as powerful as the ones he had seen before. The ground beneath the beam dissolved and Mewtwo was engulfed.

"Look at that power!" the announcer yelled unnecessarily. No one missed that.

"Oh my," Kazari whispered.

"That was one amazing Hyper Beam!" Ruiko cried out, over the cheering and yelling over the crowd.

"Serves him right," Mikoto muttered with a smug look. "I hope Mewtwo is okay though."

"What was that?" Kuroko asked, turning to her.

"Nothing."

The dust settled again and a large groove in the ground was revealed. Mewtwo was standing in front of it, the ground beneath and behind it intact, but the areas to the left and right were burned away. Mewtwo was on one knee and using a hand to hold himself up. He was bruised and burnt slightly, but he was still up.

"How was that?!" Teitoku asked. "No need to be defensive now." Mewtwo stood up and began to brush himself off. "Still acting confident? Let's see how long you can last."

"Wooo!" Mikoto cheered. "Kick his butt, Kakine!"

"You really don't like Accelerator, do you?" Kuroko asked. "Why?"

"He's a jerk," Mikoto responded. "I… saw him on TV before."

"…Right."

The situation looked dire for the champion, but Accelerator surprised everyone by throwing back his head and laughing.

"Have you lost your mind knowing you are about to lose?" Teitoku asked, confused and slightly angry.

"Nah." Accelerator dismissed his worries. "I didn't think I would meet someone so soon to try out something new." Mewtwo looked back and met his eyes before nodding. "Not too long ago, I was reminded of the importance of being adaptable in battle." His eyes flashed in irritation. "That guy…" He shook his head. "Let me show you the true power of Mewtwo." Mewtwo seemed to grin as it held out its hand. An orb of blue light formed before slowly stretching up and down. In a few moments, a familiar shape appeared.

Mewtwo was holding a large, blue, glowing spoon, as tall as it was.

"What the…?" Teitoku asked in confusion.

"Pure psychic energy concentrated into a weapon, rather than a shield. This is the first time we get to test it on another Pokémon." Accelerator held out a hand. "Show them your power."

Mewtwo charged forward, bringing back the spoon, and prepared to swing,

"Defense Form, quick!" Teitoku ordered. He didn't know how powerful that spoon was. Truth be told, it looked really goofy. Experience warned him not to grow complacent and he decided to be safe rather than sorry. Deoxys shifted back into its bulkier form.

Accelerator's dark grin grew when Mewtwo swung the spoon.

"For the love of Arceus!" The announcer yelled in shock and horror. The crowd grew silent over what happened next.

Deoxys was blown away by the force of the swing.

Its arm was also completely annihilated.

Mikoto couldn't take her eyes off what she just witnessed. Apparently, her friends couldn't either. The crowd could only stare in silence at the power. Part of the ground had been thrown all the way to the edge of the ring, Then, Deoxys stood up and people started shouting encouragement. Teitoku looked around and smiled at the support, while Accelerator crossed his arms and looked annoyed.

"It's okay folks!" Teitoku told everyone and raised his arms. "Deoxys' body isn't actually that sturdy besides for the outer skin. Being a shapeshifter, a malleable body is essential." He grinned. "Plus, all it takes to heal a wound of this level is, Recover!" Deoxys' side began to glow and then the white light began to grow in the shape of an arm. When it, faded, its arm had returned, fully formed.

The crowd went wild.

 _He really knows how to keep the audience on his side,_ Mikoto realized, as her friends cheered with everyone else. _Maybe there's something to that._ She turned around slightly to see Misaki. Her rival wasn't necessarily cheering, but her eyes were focused on Teitoku. _For someone who wants to be a performer, I guess that would be important._ Her eyes darted back to the battle when Accelerator spoke.

"Are you done with the theatrics?"

"Yes," Teitoku agreed and then held up his hand holding a pokeball. "Deoxys, return." His Pokémon disappeared as the crowd started crying out in various levels of disbelief.

"I don't believe this!" the announcer shouted. "It seems as if Teitoku Kakine has given up! This is completely unexpected!"

"I can explain." Teitoku reassured the crowd as he spoke into his mic. "After that demonstration, I don't believe I have the ability to defeat him today. That psychic spoon was completely outside of expectations. Mewtwo was able to blow through Deoxys' defense form like it was nothing. I didn't feel there was any reason to continue and risk my Pokémon getting seriously hurt. When I challenge him for his title in an official six on six battle, I will give it my all. Look forward to it.!"

He turned and left to a round of applause and cheers. Even losing, he had kept most of the crowd on his side. Mikoto made a mental note of it, but she found it strange. The way he talked and acted, it was like he didn't care about winning. He seemed nice enough, sure. Mikoto still liked him over Accelerator, but she couldn't shake the feeling he was after something more. When Accelerator returned Mewtwo, she shook her head and decided to worry about it later.

"An impressive display," the announcer congratulated Accelerator up on stage. "It was quite a treat to witness that move of yours firsthand."

"Naturally."

 _Blowhard,_ Mikoto thought angrily and crossed her arms.

"Do you think Kakine-san would be a good rival for you? You mentioned last month there was no one close enough to your level to provide a challenge."

"Not even close," Accelerator declared. "I already found one and he's much more interesting than that guy."

"What?!" The announcer wasn't the only one surprised at this. The audience started whispering among themselves.

"Who on earth could it be?" Kazari asked the others.

"Maybe it's someone we know," Ruiko suggested.

"It's probably someone who's been traveling extensively for powerful Pokémon," Kuroko said reasonably. "What do you think, onee-sama?"

"Nah," Mikoto replied. "I bet it's someone who simply knows how to raise Pokémon."

"Why do you say that?" Ruiko asked interestedly, while the other two looked on with interest.

"Err…" Thinking fast, Mikoto finally settled on a reasonable explanation. "Look at Kakine-san. He had a one of a kind Pokémon like Accelerator and lost. There really aren't many Pokémon that can stand up to Mewtwo, including legendaries. So it most likely has to be someone with well-trained ones."

"Makes sense," Kuroko agreed after a brief pause.

"Aww," Ruiko moaned and slumped into her seat. "Was hoping we would get the chance to see more cool legendaries." She looked over at Mikoto and grinned. "You catch that Zapdos yet?"

"Saten-san!" Kazari gasped and hit her friend lightly on the shoulder. "That was rude."

"Of course," Mikoto replied with a grin. "I was going to use him in the tournament, but I promised Pikachu already."

All four girls laughed at this and then turned their attention back to the announcer. Now that the opening battle had concluded, the announcer was going over how the tournament would be held. There would be four stadiums, A through D, active so that they could get through the fights. A display would be posted informing each team which stadium they would be participating in. Once this was done, everyone began to file out of the stadium seats to see where they needed to be going. Friends, family, and classmates of the participants were among them, along with scouts, a few famous trainers, and people who just enjoyed Pokémon battles. To Mikoto's surprise, she and Touma were going to battle in Stadium A, the one they were in now. They wouldn't have to take a bus over to one of the others.

"Lucky," Ruiko said when the girls found this out. "We don't have to fight our way through the crowds. We're here already."

"When are you two up?" Kazari asked.

"Looks like we are near the end of the first round," Mikoto mumbled, glancing at the listing. "There's an odd number and the team after us got a bye."

"Obviously you are going to win," Kuroko reassured her. "I even cleared a space in our dorm for your trophy."

"You really shouldn't have," Mikoto mouthed dryly. "This is my first tournament and there are a lot of powerful trainers out there."

"Cheer up," Ruiko added and patted her on the back. "Do you best and I'm sure things will go fine. Kamijou-san will do the same."

"Speaking of Kamijou-san," Kazari interjected. "I see him over there talking to Shokuhou-san." Mikoto turned on the spot to see those two talking, with some of Misaki's friends too. She immediately walked over, with her friends following quickly.

"Hey, Misaka," Touma greeted them. Misaki turned and her cheerful expression faltered ever so slightly. He also waved to the others, with only Ruiko and Kazari responding in kind. "We were just talking about the match."

"Yeah," Mikoto agreed. "It was… exciting." She exchanged a quick look with Touma and wordlessly agreed not to mention their previous encounter with Accelerator. "I kind of wish Kakine-san won."

"Those transformations in the middle of battle were pretty impressive," Misaki agreed.

"How has your Vulpixes been?" Kuroko asked her.

"Very well, thank you. We are working on getting Flare to learn Flamethrower right now."

"One of the most standard fire-type moves," Touma acknowledged with a nod. "It's useful in so many situations." He looked around as the crowd began to disperse. "Misaka, did you see where we are battling?"

"That's what I came to tell you," she replied. "Our matches will be here, but we are near the end of the lineup."

"Ah…okay…"

"What's wrong?" Misaki asked. His slightly depressed tone didn't escape her.

"My friends are battling at other stadiums," Touma answered. "They just left. Probably won't see them all day then. Even if they goof around, both of them are pretty good with team battles."

"Guess you have to hang around with us," Ruiko pointed out with a laugh and nudged Mikoto.

"Does he have to?" Kuroko asked, but the others ignored her.

"I'll keep you company," Misaki reassured him and her friends started whispering excitedly behind her.

"You can watch with us," Mikoto interrupted and pushed Misaki to the side. "We need to observe our future competition." She pointed to him. "I won't accept a first round loss."

"Yes, ma'am!" Touma gave her a salute while standing up straight, though he was smirking. The other girls laughed and Mikoto's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "With the number of contestants, I think the matches will be starting soon. Should we get going?"

"Let's get front row seats!" Ruiko declared as the girls and Touma all made their way back into the stadium.

It was a lot emptier now that at least three-fourths of the audience had left. Not only were there three more stadiums, it wasn't like this tournament was a high ranking one with famous trainers. Anyone from the city who was of age could enter, so it was full of a lot of inexperienced trainers. A good number of onlookers were people who just wanted to see the champion battle or were part of Teitoku's fan club. The remainders consisted primarily of friends and families of those competing. Thanks to this fact, Mikoto and the others were able to get prime seats.

"You don't mind looking after Jolteon and Shinx, Kuroko?" Mikoto asked. "The tournament is going to last all day at least." She glanced down at her two Pokémon. Both of them were sitting down quietly and looked back at her. Neither of them wanted to cause a problem.

"It's no problem, onee-sama," Kuroko reassured her. "Kadabra and Beedrill take up too much space, so it will be nice to have some company while we watch." She gestured to Kazari, who had Chikorita, Ruiko, who had Popplio, and Misaki, who had Sylveon, in their laps. Several of Misaki's friends also had a Pokémon out, but they were all small and could easily sit in someone's lap.

"Since Riolu evolved," Touma muttered, more to himself. "Charmeleon is really my smallest Pokémon I could let out, but I want to let him rest until our first match."

"I feel the same with Pikachu," Mikoto admitted.

"Look at that Furret!" Ruiko squealed and pointed to the Pokémon crossing in front of them. "I love them. Their fur is so soft."

"I just want to pet it," Kazari agreed and the Furret stopped and sat up on its hind legs. The small device attached to its collar was clearly visible.

"Is that a camera?" Kuroko asked out loud.

"Must be part of the organizers getting pictures of the crowds," Mikoto suggested. The Furret left them alone after taking a picture and slipped in and out of the seats without bothering a single person. Her eyes flickered back to the stage as a couple adults began to arrive.

"Ladies and gentleman," one of the announcers began and the chattering among the stadium ceased. "The first match will begin shortly. We ask all teams be ready one battle in advanced so we can keep everything moving. A Pokecenter has been set up for trainers to use after each match. We hope everyone does their best and have a good time. Good luck everybody and, for the audience, don't forget to cheer. These trainers worked hard to be here." The crowd clapped and a few people jeered.

"It's beginning," Ruiko whispered excitedly. "This is our first time watching on in an actual stadium." Kazari nodded at her friend and seemed just as excited.

Once the battles began, Mikoto found herself on the edge of her seat.

Every battle was intense, as trainers refused to just roll over and use. Sometimes, battles lasted for only a few minutes, when one team was vastly superior to the other, and others lasted much longer, when teams were evenly matched. A couple teams stood out and Mikoto made note of them for the future in case she had to face them.

The first team consisted of two blonde twin sisters. The Pokémon they had chosen were Lunatone and Solrock. Lunatone was a cream-colored, rock Pokémon with a crescent moon shape with deep set red eyes surrounded by black. Solrock was a primarily orange, spherical Pokémon. It had eight yellow, rocky spines extending from the sides of its body, and resembled a sun. Both of which were a combination of Rock and Psychic-types.

 _Charmeleon wouldn't be too effective against them,_ Mikoto thought. _But Pikachu did have Iron Tail, which would be._

The second team also consisted of two girls, but they were related. One of them had an Ursaring. At the sight of it, Mikoto felt a shiver down her spine when she remembered her first encounter with on. She shook her head and took a deep breath, reminding herself she was a lot more experienced now. The girl's partner had a Mawile, a rare steel and fairy-type combination. Mawile was a short, bipedal Pokémon with a pale yellow body and black arms and feet. Its legs had thick, fur-like covering resembling a skirt. The most notable feature was a pair of large black jaws emerging from the back of its head. The two of them took down their opponents in roughly thirty seconds since the match started.

 _They are going to be tough_. _Need to think of a counter strategy, but the match was so fast, I barely say their teamwork._

The last team she made note of was one with an Abomasnow. This Pokémon was a large, bipedal creature covered in shaggy, white fur. Its hands, feet, and tail were dark green and spiky, similar to the foliage of an evergreen tree. The most unusual thing about it was it was a grass and ice-type. Abomasnow's evolution line was the only one with this combination. The main thing that made this fight stand out to Mikoto was that the second the Abomasnow appeared, clouds formed and it began to hail. This was caused by the ability; Snow Warning. While Hail is in effect, all Pokémon not of the Ice type will be continuously damaged over time.

 _Fighting that team will put us on a timer._

The time finally came.

Mikoto and Touma stood up to make their way down to the waiting room for their match.

"Good luck," Ruiko said.

"You will be fine," Kazari reassured them.

"Show them your skills," Kuroko added.

"I'm looking forward to your victory," Misaki finished with a smile.

"So no pressure," Touma muttered, once the two of them were out of earshot. Mikoto gave a dry chuckle.

"They mean well," Mikoto explained. "They just think we are a lot more experienced than we are. Well… I am. I'm not sure about you…"

"First tournament ever," Touma replied and Mikoto raised an eyebrow skeptically. "I told you that before and I'm serious. I never cared about these things before. "When I entered high school, before a tournament could start, I caught Rampardos. My Pokémon keep me way too busy and… I don't like to stand out."

 _Not sure why,_ she thought. _You're a strong trainer._

"I guess I should thank you then for agreeing to join with me," Mikoto mumbled, a little embarrassed of the fact she virtually forced him to do this. "But I needed a partner and you were available."

"Thank makes me feel better," Touma said and Mikoto suddenly felt bad.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way," she amended quickly. "I don't have any issues with you being my teammate and then you even agreed to be my mentor." Touma opened his mouth and she continued. "You were one of the first people to say I should train the Pokémon I want, not what is based on advantages and disadvantages. I convinced Kuroko to accept that and she's my best friend. Imagine all the people that looked down at me for only wanting to use electric-types."

"But don't gym leaders in other regions do that?" Touma asked confused.

"But their job is to test trainers," Mikoto pointed out. "And, if you noticed, champions always have a variety to adapt. I even teach my Pokémon additional moves like Iron Tail, to help fight against type disadvantages."

"Everyone is their own unique trainer," Touma said. "Don't worry about what others want and focus on what you want to do."

"It's that attitude is why I wanted you as a mentor," Mikoto told him. "And that you know how to raise Pokémon. I don't care if you aren't the strong trainer. You proved you're stronger than me, so at least help me reach your level."

"I'll try," Touma promised. "Though, I never really taught anyone before. So this will be a new experience for me."

"Well, let's focus on the tournament for now," Mikoto suggested. "We can worry about training later. I'm sure Shokuhou-san is going to want to be involved."

"She said she's more interested in Pokémon performances," Touma said thoughtfully and looked at the ceiling. "Not sure there's anything I can help with that." He laughed. "Tournament, huh. We probably should try not to lose the first round."

"If we lose," Mikoto warned him. "I'm using you as a practice dummy for my Pokémon."

"There's the Biribiri I know!"

"Stop with that stupid nickname, idiot!"

"Only if you stop calling me an idiot!"

"But you are one!"

"And you're Biribiri!"

"Excuse me?" A voice interrupt them and they turned. A nicely dressed woman with a clipboard was looking at them. "Are you two up next?" they nodded. "Ah, good. The previous round ended rather quickly. Follow me please." She led them down a hallway and stopped at the entrance way to the field. "When your names are called, approach the arena and stand in your positions. The battle will begin shortly after both teams are ready." They nodded and she left.

"It's time," Mikoto mumbled and slapped her cheeks with both hands. "You got this. Just fight like you always do and things will work out." She looked over at Touma, who was mumbling under his breath.

 _He looks nervous too. Glad I'm not the only one._

"The next round is about to start!" The announcer's voice echoed around the stadium. "Our first team consists of Joey Miller and Botan Lee." Mikoto heard the crowd applause. "Together, they are Team Fang!" There was more applause and a few cheers. "Our second team consists of Mikoto Misaka and Touma Kamijou!"

Mikoto took a deep breath and stepped out into the field with Touma beside her. She could feel the applause around them and she could have sworn she heard Kuroko shout out onee-sama. She raised a shaking hand and waved as they approached their designated spot. To her right, she saw her friends cheering and waved at them.

"Together," the announcer continued. "They are Team Zapdos!"

"Really?" Touma asked out of the corner of his mouth. "I was late and that's what you named us?"

"It's a good name," Mikoto protested.

"Calling us that won't make Zapdos come to you."

"Shut up." She elbowed him in the side and then straightened up when a male judge took his spot at the side of the half field marker.

"Both teams," he called out. "Release your Pokémon!"

"Alright, Pikachu!" Mikoto cried and threw her pokeball. "It's time to show everyone what we can do."

"Charmeleon!" Touma said. "You're up!"

"Pika!" Pikachu appeared in a flash of light and a few sparks flickered out of its cheeks.

"Charmeleon." Charmeleon shot a small bout of fire into the air when it appeared.

On the far side of the field, their opponents did the same thing. Because Pokédexes were barred from being used in tournaments, Mikoto had to rely on her own knowledge to identify their Pokémon. This time she was lucky and both opponents released Pokémon she recognized.

"Rattatas," Mikoto said to Touma. "Didn't think I would see them in this tournament. Aren't they usually one of the first Pokémon people catch?"

"Don't underestimate them," Touma warned. "The one on the left is different."

The Rattata on her left that Joey had released looked normal. It was a small, quadruped rodent Pokémon. The most notable feature was its large buck teeth. Purple fur covered its back, and cream fur covered its stomach. It had a pair of thin, cream-colored whiskers and a long tail that curled at the tip. The Rattata Botan summoned not only had dark grey fur instead of purple, but there were a few other differences. The long, thin whiskers were replaced by shorter, thicker tufts of fur and the line where the cream underbelly met the gray fur was ragged instead of smooth.

"It's the Alolan form," Mikoto answered. "Different environment caused the physical changed and it's a dark and normal-type instead of just normal."

"Guess that will make things a pretty even match," Touma replied. "None of us have a type advantage."

"Don't think we are going to be easy opponents!" Joey yelled across the field. "My Rattata is in the ninety-nine percentile of Rattatas."

"What?!" Touma yelled back.

"Just ignore him!" Botan called back.

"Hey!"

"Focus," Mikoto hissed at Touma.

"If both teams are ready!" the judge shouted, drawing their attention. Everyone nodded and the judge raised his arm. "You may begin!" He lowered his arm.

"Thunder shock!" Mikoto ordered.

"Flamethrower!" Touma yelled.

It was a mark of their training in coordination the last few days that they understood each other's strategy. Rattatas were mostly physical attackers, so they would need to get in close for a lot of their powerful attacks. They could have a trick or two hidden away, but the range attacks were mostly to test the waters. A torrent of flames erupted from Charmeleon's mouth at Botan's Rattata and Pikachu fired a surge of electricity at Joey's.

"Dodge and use Double Team!" Joey yelled.

"Quick Attack!" Botan cried out.

A dozen images of Joey's Rattata appeared and Pikachu's electricity harmless flew through one of them. Botan's Rattata, instead of simply dodging, charged forward leaving a small trail of light as it plowed toward Charmeleon. The flames stopped as Charmeleon jumped back to put a little distance between them. Its speed was nowhere near the grey Rattata's and the distance between them shorted. This move of Charmeleon's wasn't a simple reaction, but an actual plan.

Something they had practiced in training.

"Iron Tail!"

"To the right!" Botan yelled, but it was too late. Pikachu had already jumped forward and swung its glowing tail into her Rattata. It could not react fast enough to change the direction of its attack. The force of the blow sent Rattata flying backwards.

"Nice one," Touma complimented and Mikoto shared a fist bump with him.

The strategy was pretty simple, but the timing was everything. Because only one of their opponents decided to attack instead of simply dodging their range attacks, they were split up and couldn't cover each other. Charmeleon and Pikachu were relatively close, as their attacks did not require physical movement. When Rattata closed in on Charmeleon with a high speed rush, Pikachu was able to intercept with its own attack. Dodging backwards was just to give Pikachu some room to swing its tail.

"It's not over yet," Mikoto told him. "One hit won't knock them out."

"Hyper Fang!" Joey ordered. "Crush that Pikachu while it's out in the open." His Rattata charged forward, the buck teeth glowing white as it lunged toward Pikachu, who had just landed.

"Let's return the favor!" Touma called out. "Protect Pikachu with Dragon Claw!"

Charmeleon lunged over Pikachu and brought down its glowing green claws into Rattata's head before it could reach Pikachu. The force of that blow sent Rattata slamming against the ground. Its teeth stopped glowing as the Hyper Fang failed to hit anything. Charmeleon landed in front of Rattata and raised its claws.

"Hidden Power!" Joey yelled in panic. "Hurry!"

Several white orbs appeared around Rattata and fire in Charmeleon's direct. Two made direct hits, as the two Pokémon were so close together, while the rest hit the ground and spray up dust, blocking Pikachu's line of sight. The attack didn't seem to cause much damage this time. That was the downside to that move. Hidden Power had a damage range, so it could be pretty weak or pretty powerful. Mikoto realized the exact damage didn't matter, as Botan took over in the moment of confusion.

"Assurance!"

The grey Rattata and shot forward, slamming into Charmeleon. This time there was an obvious sign of damage. Charmeleon was knocked backwards and was forced to slam a hand onto the ground to remain standing.

"What was that?" Touma asked Mikoto.

"Assurance does twice as much damage if an opponent just recently took damage," Mikoto explained. "She was waiting for the opportunity to use it." The smoke cleared and she saw Joey's Rattata. "Pikachu, Electro Ball!" Pikachu jumped into the air and a ball of electricity formed on the tip of its tail. It then flew at the target and made a direct hit. The explosion knocked back Rattata and Mikoto heard Joey yell out in surprise.

"Fire Dark Pulse at Pikachu!" Botan commanded. Joey's Rattata may have been preoccupied, but hers wasn't. Rattata opened its mouth and a light purple orb surrounded in black and purple circles appeared inside. The orb then fired a beam of black and purple circles.

"Intercept that with Flamethrower!" Touma ordered and a jet of flames collided with the Dark Pulse in midair. The attacks exploded against each other harmlessly.

"Hyper Fang!" Joey cried out to his Rattata, who had just gotten to its feet. The front teeth began to glow and it charged forward at Pikachu.

"Thunder Shock!" Mikoto yelled. Electricity erupted from Pikachu and made direct contact with Rattata, but it wasn't enough to cause Rattata to stop. It charged forward and slammed its teeth into Pikachu. "Pikachu!" Mikoto cried out in worry as Pikachu let out a gasp of pain before being sent backwards from the force of the Hyper Fang.

 _That Rattata is actually pretty strong,_ Mikoto thought. _It took several direct attacks and is not only standing, but fighting back._

"Dragon Claw!"

Touma's words snapped her back to reality and she saw what happened in slow motion. After Rattata's attack, it stopped momentarily to regain its footing. During that brief moment, Charmeleon was already moving. Touma only gave the order about which move to use. Mikoto smiled, thinking about how much their training paid off, as she witnessed Charmeleon bring down the glowing green claw directly into Rattata. It was slammed into the ground because of the power of the attack and did not get up.

"Rattata has fainted!" the judge declared. "Team Fang is down to one Pokémon!"

"Nooo!" Joey wailed, as he recalled his Pokémon back into its pokeball with a flash of red light. "How could we lose in only the first round?! Botan, you have to win it for us!"

"Yeaaaah, about that." She sighed and looked at the field. "Well, no one can say I didn't go down fighting. You ready for our last stand, Rattata?" Her Rattata looked back and nodded.

 _For the most part,_ Mikoto thought. _Her Rattata isn't injured. Both Charmeleon and Pikachu have taken a few hits, but can keep fighting fine._ She turned to Touma.

"It's not going to be fairest of strategies," Mikoto told him. "But combination attacks the rest of the way?"

"It is a two on two," Touma agreed. "So let's do it." They looked at each other briefly and simultaneously called out their attacks.

"Thunder Shock!"

"Flamethrower!"

"Block it with Dark Pulse!" Botan ordered.

The combination of fire and electricity collided against the dark energy in midair before exploding. However, Mikoto's and Touma's combined attack was far more powerful and pushed through the Dark Pulse. Their attacked reached Rattata and blasted it backwards. It managed to land on its feet, mostly to the fact Dark Pulse weakened the attack.

"Use Quick Attack to get close!" Botan yelled. "We are at a disadvantage at range. When you get an opening, Hyper Fang!" Rattata zipped forward leaving a small trail of light behind it.

"Flamethrower again," Touma told Charmeleon. "Limit its movements!" Charmeleon's fire kept Rattata from moving over to one side, so it was forced to charge straight at Pikachu. As it drew close, the light trail vanished to be replaced by the glowing front teeth.

"Pikachu!" Mikoto called out. "Charged forward and intercept with Iron Tail!"

"Pikaaa!" Pikachu shot forward and jumped. Spinning around in midair, Pikachu brought down its glowing tail as Rattata jumped up to meet it with its own glowing teeth. The attacks collided in midair and created a shockwave, knocking them both back. Neither had been damaged, so the advantage Mikoto and Pikachu had over Botan and Rattata became clear.

A teammate.

Rattata was engulfed in flames by Charmeleon's flamethrower.

"Are you okay?!" Botan yelled, as Rattata fell down to the ground. The landing was not pleasant, as Rattata was in too much pain to land properly. However, it still managed to struggle to its feet. "You can do it! Dark Pulse!" Rattata fired another blast of purple and black circles, which Pikachu and Chameleon were able to easily dodge.

"Quick Attack!" Mikoto said and Pikachu dashed forward, leaving a trail of light behind it. Rattata fired another Dark Pulse to try to intercept, but Pikachu easily side stepped it. Unable to move due to the damaged it had sustained already, Rattata was hit by Pikachu's full forced charge and sent flying into the air. It landed with a thud and didn't get back up.

"Rattata is unable to battle," the judge declared. "Team Zapdos is the winner!" The crowd cheered and Mikoto felt a huge smile on her face.

"We did it!" she cheered and high fived Touma.

"Heh," Touma chuckled nonchalantly.

"You did great, Pikachu!" Mikoto told her partner, who ran and jumped up into her outstretched arms. "Let's get you to the Pokecenter and healed up for the next round.

"Pika, pi!"

"Good job, Charmeleon," Touma said to his partner. "Nice job at reacting to the surprise attacks." Charmeleon shrugged, but didn't seem displeased at the compliment. The four of them began to leave when Botan ran up to them to shake their hands.

"That was a good match," she said. "Sorry my teammate isn't coming over. He's a little childish."

"His Rattata had pretty good endurance," Mikoto replied. "I'm surprised it hasn't evolved yet."

"It should at any time," Botan laughed. "But both of your Pokémon were obviously trained a lot better than ours."

"I got to see an Alola version of Rattata," Touma said to her. "So it was a good learning experience. You fought well, even when it was against both of us."

"Now you're just being nice," Botan dismissed him and turned to Mikoto. "He always like this?"

"Pretty much," Mikoto confirmed. "He tries to spare people's feelings."

"Standing right here," Touma mumbled and the girls laughed.

"I only participated because Joey's in my class and couldn't find a partner," Botan said to Mikoto, as they all vacated the field. "Thought it would be fun, but I was hoping we would get past the first round."

"We are going to win it all," Mikoto bragged. "So you would have had to face us at some times." The girls laughed and Touma rolled his eyes. "He only joined because I needed a high schooler to help me get into the tournament." Mikoto jabbed a finger at Touma.

"Turned out to be a good choice," Botan agreed and looked at Charmeleon. "He's a good trainer."

"I know, right?" Mikoto added and puffed out her chest. "I got him to be my mentor, so you might see me at more tournaments." Touma groaned and Botan laughed.

"I take it she didn't give you a choice in this either?" she asked him.

"Not in the slightest."

"Hey!" Mikoto elbowed him in the side again before turning back to Botan. "It was nice meeting you, but we got to go find our friends."

"Nice meeting you too," Botan replied. "I hope you do win. Bye!" She turned and left, leaving Mikoto and the others to head toward the center. When they turned a corner, she heard a couple familiar cries.

"Jolteon!"

"Shinx! Shinx!"

"Onee-sama!"

Mikoto knelt down and Pikachu jumped out of her arms as Shinx and Jolteon barreled into her. She laughed as they rubbed up against her cheeks, even enjoying the slight tingling from the static electricity they emitted. The excitement of winning caused her to be in a great mood. Even Kuroko's sudden embrace and resulting electric shock from Shinx against both of them didn't damper her spirits, after she picked herself back up. A moment later, Kazari, Ruiko, and Misaki showed up. Of course, Misaki ran and embraced Touma in a hug, which actually ticked Mikoto off. Before the annoyance could hurt her spirits, her other friends immediately distracted her.

"That was an awesome match," Ruiko told her and slapped her on the back. "I knew you would win."

"There were a couple moments I was worried," Kazari admitted. "But you two had great teamwork."

"Obviously, they are going to win the entire tournament," Kuroko huffed.

"It's only the first round," Mikoto reminded them all. "And the fights are only going to get tougher."

"Stay confident," Kuroko scolded. "Remember what our teachers told us, when you begin to doubt yourself, you make more mistakes when you miss opportunities."

"You did great, Touma-kun." Mikoto's head turned when she heard Misaki's voice. The girl was clinging to Touma's arm while Sylveon was talking to Charmeleon.

"Charmeleon did most of the work," Touma responded. "But can we continue talking after we take our Pokémon to the Pokecenter? We need to get them healed up."

"Of course," Misaki replied and led the way, still not releasing him.

"Let's all go," Mikoto told the others and they left as a group. Misaki's slight glare was noticeable to Mikoto, who only smiled back sweetly.

"Do you know who your next opponents are?" Kazari asked Mikoto.

"I don't know who they are because they got a bye," Mikoto replied and grabbed her phone. "But I took a picture of the brackets." She pulled up the photo and glanced at it. "It only had the team name though." Ruiko looked over her shoulder.

"Team Guts? That's a weird name."

After Jolteon congratulated her trainer, she slipped off to join Charmeleon and Sylveon. This immediately started an argument as Sylveon tried to use one of her ribbons to push Jolteon away. Jolteon didn't take too kindly to this and released a small spark to force Sylveon to pull back the ribbon. The two of them butted heads and sparks shot out of their eyes as they glared at each other. Things might have gotten heated if Charmeleon didn't smack them both on the head with his tail. Snapping back to their senses, they moved to either side of him and followed silently. Behind them, Shinx was looking confused at Jolteon and Sylveon's behavior and turned to Chikorita, the only other Pokémon near it.

"Shinx, Shinx? Shinx!" Shinx was bouncing on its feet as it asked. Chikorita blink and then smiled with a smug look on its face. One of the bugs on its neck stretched out into a green whip to pat Shinx on the head.

"Chikor, Chikorita."

Shinx didn't understand.

* * *

"There you are, you bastard."

Accelerator was lying on a couch in his hotel room skipping through the replays of the matches that had occurred. He couldn't search for the trainer, Touma Kamijou, in the tournament by name. Not that he didn't consider it. He just didn't want the media to find out he had pulled some strings to find a specific trainer. Instead, he just spent time on his laptop skipping through matches until he finally found them.

 _I knew he had to be part of the tournament, since I saw that brat there._ He watched the fight and his frowned became more pronounced.

"What the hell is this garbage!?" he raged. He was so loud his manager stuck her head in from the next room.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No, just something stupid online." She nodded and left, not worrying about what a teenager was watching online. She wasn't his mom.

 _Did he purposely choose a weak Pokémon?_ Accelerator thought. _No… the reaction speed is too great. It's been trained, but against a couple rats, it should have only taken one, maybe two shots at the most._ His eyes fell onto Mikoto. _I bet he chose a weaker one to give the girl some practice. She's still using unevolved Pokémon. I even gave her a Thunder Stone. That brat better have evolved that Eevee instead, it's not like those stones are cheap._ He leaned back in his chair, thinking about his matches against Touma and Teitoku. Deoxys was a legendary Pokémon and should have been much stronger than the Ditto. Still, Accelerator couldn't deny something to himself, no matter how easy it would be to deny to others.

The fight with Teitoku didn't get his blood boiling.

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **It's time to play another round of, "Who's that Pokémon?" Same rules apply as last time. One point for guessing the type, and five points for the specific Pokémon. Keep track of your own scores.**

 **This time, there is also an additional chance to earn another point by guessing who the main opponent of the next team Mikoto and Touma will face. The leader of Team Guts! One point for guessing who he is, one point for guessing his Pokémon's type, and five points for guessing his Pokémon. Good luck and think hard!**

 **Shinx: So, why was Jolteon arguing with Sylveon?**

 **Pikachu: I'm too tired to explain right now. Maybe when you're older, like Chikorita said.**

 **Shinx: I'm old enough!**

 **Lucario: Trust me. You do not want to know.**

 **Shinx: Don't treat me like a kid!**

 **Charmeleon: He's going to keep yapping if we don't, isn't he?**

 **Magnemite: Yes, he will.**

 **Charmeleon: Fine, Shinx. If you walk through that door, everything will be explained.**

 **Shinx: Finally...! Hey, there's nothing here except…**

 **Ditto: It's time to talk about the birds and the bees.**

 **(2 hours later.)**

 **Charmeleon: What did we learn?**

 **Shinx: L-Listen to o-others and d-don't ask q-questions.**

 **Lucario: I did warn you.**


	15. Second Round Ridiculousness

**After all this time, I finally decided to update this story. I know it's not the most popular or serious of my stories, but it's a nice one to update once in a while. A couple readers do like this and periodically ask for me to update. I like this crossover combination, but my other stories just have so much more going for them right now. I will keep my promise and update this once in a while for people. Most people have figured out who the member of Team Guts will be, but not as many of you figured out his Pokémon. Yes, he has a Machamp for sure, but the Pokémon I chose I felt really represented the trainer, even without the Guts ability. I wonder if Mikoto and Touma will be able to win this tournament. This chapter was delayed a couple days because my main reviewer SilverFang doesn't check this story over because he doesn't know Pokémon at all. Had to find some random people to look at it.**

 **mauday97: So close, man. So close.**

 **Animan10: Pokémon is more than just battles, but I can't lie and say that isn't an important aspect. Balancing all the parts of both stories takes a little thought. Ah… Touma's special skills won't be revealed for a bit. There's a reason his Pokémon are so strong. Mikoto has to learn it though.**

 **Radio9: You know, after you mentioned this, I thought about it and it does seem that way, doesn't it? That would explain why it could keep fighting the way it did this chapter. Hmm. Different battles require different strategies.**

 **Acpeters: Another person that was so close, yet so far in his guess.**

 **Sesshoru: Good guess and it wasn't like the others. I did also use that one.**

 **vietnamese guy: That was an interesting choice. Can you tell me why you chose that one? I might have that as one of his in a later chapter if he comes back.**

 **Ultrag: Heh, all of those are good guesses, but I went a slightly different direction.**

 **Salishious: I had to resist your idea. I really was tempted. He doesn't have the IB, so his luck can't be THAT bad. I do make a little bit more unfortunate stuff happen. There was a couple big things, remember? He did get dragged into a tournament he didn't want to participate in. I like having Absol appear instead. That is a good scenario though.**

 **Guest: It's a pretty popular guess.**

 **Guest: Kakine will return to face Accelerator, but only when Mikoto is nearby. This story revolves around her. Doesn't matter if the Pokémon has the guts ability or not, Gunha's Pokémon will have it. I do not have enough time in the week to write a new fic now. Otherwise, all my story updates will suffer.**

 **Oriongamer: Kind of? Each Pokémon is a little different.**

 **Chen: You caught on. All the level 7s will have one of the Eevee forms.**

 **Phoenix 7.49: I understand that thought process, but I wanted someone else to have to mutated Eevee. That manga was pretty good years ago. It was a lot darker than most kids' comics. Mikoto has a Touma. She will be fine.**

 **Agent Nine: All good guesses, but I finally settled on what I wanted him to have.**

 **WiliamZ0: I couldn't figure who his partner should be, so I used an OC. I scanned the wiki, novels, and manga to find someone with no luck. I was confused when people first chose Heracross, but I kind of understand why they suggested it. Nah, I have an entire section for Ultra Beasts and that requires Mikoto to leave Academy City. You're the second one saying Touma is holding back. I had to reread the story to figure out how you guys came to that conclusion. Ditto is a great teacher.**

 **Formboy1: Heh, you're in for a surprise. Kazari Uiharu is going to have some major roles eventually. Touma and Mikoto will meet Hamazura eventually. Teitoku is going to be a reoccurring villain. Top tier trainers will be shown a lot worldwide. Accelerator is a good guy, just very prideful here. Only Accelerator should be able to beat Touma. Obviously, Gunha was going to get a fighting-type. That really wasn't up for debate. Poor sweet child. Red was one of the first trainers to beat the Elite Four, so yeah, he's probably the most powerful. If the games didn't set him at the end of gold and silver, realistically, no one would beat him. I have a better idea for Chameleon to evolve.**

 **Wiliamsusanto: That battle will have to happen way down the road.**

 **elmauricio1324: Well, Accelerator has the masterball, so they would have to be mass produced.**

 **Western: Close.**

 **FrodoFighter: Speed form is the one form that can beat Mewtwo, we have to wait for the right time to see it. Spoons are the ultimate utensil. You're puns make me groan. You're better than this. Darkrai belongs to a certain someone, so the others can't have it. Yes, Pokémon deserve to be free. #NoPokeballs. Lucario would hate the noise. Uiharu doesn't let Tropius out most of the time. He comes out when he wants. That was the point of the Furret. I love writing Mikoto and Touma's little love quarrels. Touma will get the Zapdos. Shush, baseline speed is ONLY in games, not real life. The strongest Rattata obviously. We all KNOW who has the pants in the relationship, even if she only wears shorts. Isn't Kuroko one of them, though? Quick, what fetish would Accelerator like? Accelerator has the max, 99 of each.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or Pokémon. I wish I did so I could retire rich.**

* * *

"It's almost time," Ruiko informed the others unnecessarily. "You ready?"

"Not really," Mikoto muttered from her seat with Shinx on her lap. "Not a huge fan of standing out in front of all those people."

"But you seemed so confident during your last match," Kazari pointed out.

"When the match actually starts," Mikoto explained. "I can tune out the spectators and focus on my opponent. It's the walking up to the starting area while everyone is staring at me that I hate." Her grip around Shinx tightened. Not enough to hurt it, but the movement was noticeable.

"Shinx, Shinx!" Shinx said encouragingly and licked Mikoto's face.

"Aww!" Kazari cooed.

"Jolt, Jolteon!" Jolteon bounced up and down next to Mikoto and was obviously saying something encouragingly too.

"Come on, onee-sama!" Kuroko cried. "There's nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it. You're a great trainer and now everyone's going to notice. It's practice for when you take on the champion!" Mikoto suddenly had the mental image of herself standing over a defeated Accelerator flash through her mind. She couldn't deny it would feel amazing. "And… while I still don't like the ape, he's not holding you back."

"That's a compliment coming from Shirai-san," Kazari explained to Ruiko, causing Kuroko to grab her cheek. "Ow! That hurts!" Chikorita tilted its head in confusion while Popplio clapped its hands together.

"They are having fun," Ruiko agreed with her Pokémon.

"I got to get going," Mikoto told the others and Shinx jumped off her lap. She still had to use one hand to keep Kuroko back, as Kuroko was trying to give her a 'good luck kiss' or something. "Pay attention, Shinx. When this tournament is over, I'm hoping we can have you participate in a real battle."

"Shinx! Shinx!" Shinx was bounding around childishly and full of excitement.

"Let's go, Pikachu."

Waving goodbye to her friends, Mikoto made her way through the stands and back down to the waiting area. When she left the noise behind, her nervousness began to intensify. She hadn't been lying when she told her friends she didn't like the large audience. Classmates, friends, occasional onlookers, all were fine. But thousands of people she didn't know? That was nerve wracking. Excitement overpowered her fear at the beginning and she had no doubt once the battle started, her focus would be entirely on her opponents. The walk down was just terrible. It was like going to the dentist knowing you have a cavity and will be put under, but the waiting always caused the mind to make things worse than it really was.

"Biribiri! Over here!"

The familiar voice broke through her thoughts and she briefly forgot her nervousness. She turned around and saw Touma waving at her from the far side of the room. He didn't appear to exude confidence or fear, like so many of the other contestants mulling around. Instead, Mikoto was under the impression was still just acting like himself, regardless of the pressure. The sight of him caused her to smile ever so briefly, as she remembered it was thanks to him she was even able to participate. He didn't even want to, but he did it to help her out.

Then it sunk in what he called her.

"What did you call me!?" She shouted back.

"The previous matches ended faster than planned," Touma explained, ignoring her reddening face at that stupid nickname he gave her. "So they are pushing up our match."

"Huh?" Mikoto blinked and her anger faded away to be replaced by confusion. "We're up already? But… I wanted a minute to talk to you…"

"I do apologize for the scheduling change," a woman suddenly said, approaching them once she realized who they were. "We allocate a certain amount of time for each match, but due to the hectic nature of them, some end sooner while others take longer. We planned for them to balance out in the long run, but several of the recent matches ended in only a few minutes."

"Sounds like there are a few strong teams," Mikoto muttered dryly.

"I'm sure you two will do fine," the woman reassured her and then gestured for them to follow.

Much faster than she would have liked, Mikoto found themselves standing in the hallway leading to the ring waiting for the announcer to introduce them. They didn't even give her a chance to mentally prepare herself and now she was taking deep breaths to calm down. She could imagine Kuroko, Ruiko, and Kazari waiting anxiously for her to enter the ring.

"You know?" Touma tried to strike up a conversation. "Aogami and Tsuchimikado lost their first round."

"Really?" Mikoto asked.

"I heard they got stomped by someone with a Dragonair."

"Dragon-types do boast some of the highest raw attack power," Mikoto admitted. "They were in another bracket, right?"

"Yep, so we won't see it unless we beat our bracket and them theirs."

"What about Fukiyose-san and her teammate?"

"Himegami? I heard they passed the first round too."

"Really? That's cool. She seems serious enough to really concentrate on her match."

"You have no idea…"

"The next round is about to begin!" The announcer's voice burst through the intercom around the stadium. "Both teams, please enter the field!" Mikoto gulped and forced her feet forward and Touma did the same, though he seemed a lot less nervous than her. "Let's hear it for our first group: Team Zapdos! Consisting of Touma Kamijou and Mikoto Misaka!" The crowd cheered and Mikoto raised a hand to give a halfhearted wave. "For our second team, this is their first round in the tournament, so let's give a round of applause to Team Guts!" Mikoto focused on the team approaching from the other side over the sound of the crowd around her. "Consisting of Gunha Sogiita and Usko Turunen!"

The other team consisted of two guys, both around Touma's age. Gunha stood out much more than his teammate. His modified white uniform consisted of a Rising Sun shirt, jacket over his shoulders like a makeshift cape, and a white headband. His hair was black and is somewhat windswept and spiky. Mikoto was reminded so much of Touma's. Gunha walked forward confidently and used both hands to wave to the crowd. Usko was a lot more reserved. His blond hair was longer and more kempt. Consisting of a simple long sleeve white shirt and brown pants, he walked silently behind his partner. There was only a small wave of one hand to the crowd as acknowledgement.

"Hello!" Gunha greeted them from across the field. His voice was loud and strong. "Let's have a great match and show off our skill and guts!"

"I agree," Mikoto responded. "So is that's why you're called Team Guts?"

"Naturally!" Gunha nodded. "Whenever you do something, you should always give it 110%. Even when you're exhausted, you can always reach down and give a little bit more. Nothing is impossible if you keep going forward with determination!"

"Sounds good to me," Mikoto agreed and she felt herself smile. It was nice to meet someone so straight forward.

"You don't seem to be as excited to be here," Touma said to Usko.

"He dragged me here," Usko replied with a shrug.

"Usko here is an exchange student from overseas," Gunha explained. "This tournament would be a great chance for him to make some memories before he has to leave us at the end of the mouth."

"Having one partner force the other to join seems to be a reoccurring trend," Touma pointed out with a quick laugh. Mikoto elbowed him in the side inconspicuously.

"Both teams!" The referee declared. He had just arrived. "Release your Pokémon!"

"Pikachu!" Mikoto called out. "Let's win round two!"

"Charmeleon, you're up!" Touma yelled.

In a flash of red light, both of their Pokémon emerged. Electricity flickered on Pikachu's cheeks and Charmeleon let a burst of fire into the air.

"Both of your Pokémon look strong," Gunha complimented. "But now you face mine. Let's show them our power, Hawlucha!"

A small, bipedal bird-like Pokémon emerged from his pokeball. It had red, cape-like wings that were connected to its tail with green undersides and small clawed hands. The chest feathers were red, its abdominal area was white and its legs had small yellow feet. It had a green, mask-like face with an orange stripe down the middle, as well as orange rings around its eyes. Hawlucha also had a small, red beak, with a white patch underneath it. Three orange tassel-like appendages jutted out of the back of its head. The eyes had black sclera and large yellow irises.

When it appeared, Hawlucha flexed out its arms dramatically and Mikoto saw the immediate resemblance to its trainer.

"Sweet," Mikoto couldn't help grinning. "Hawlucha is a fighting-type, but it's also flying. Pikachu has an advantage."

"Don't count it out yet," Touma warned. "You know better than anyone type advantages don't always decide the outcome of a match."

"True," Mikoto agreed reluctantly, but she knew he had a point. _Don't let down my guard._

"And Usko has a ghost-type," Touma added and Mikoto blinked. She hadn't even realized he released his Pokémon. Mikoto turned to see who their other opponent was.

It was a Duskull.

Duskull was virtually a stylized personification of the Grim Reaper. Its body was a black robe with two bones on its back. Its mask resembled a skull and it had a single eye that floated between the eye sockets. As Touma stated, it was a ghost-type. This could be a little tricky. Normal attacks, like Quick Attack, would just go right through it and ghost-types tended to be tricky.

"Are both teams ready?" The referee asked. Everyone made an OK sign. "Then let the match…begin!"

"Charmeleon!" Touma ordered. "Flamethrower at Duskull!"

"Pikachu!" Mikoto mimicked. "Thunder Shock at Hawlucha!"

"Jump into the air!" Gunha countered.

"Duskull!" Usko commanded. "Dodge, then Disable on Pikachu!"

Blue light emitted from Duskull as it flew up into the air to dodge Charmeleon's Flamethrower. Blue light surrounded Pikachu's body and the electricity that had been shot out ended prematurely. Hawlucha bent its knees and jumped up into the air before spreading its wings to glide. While it was a flying type, it couldn't actually fly. However, they didn't take into account Charmeleon could direct the flamethrower mid attack. While Duskull was occupied aiming at Pikachu, Chameleon moved its head to cause the Flamethrower to engulf the ghost. Duskull stagger in midair, before floating back down closer to the ground.

"What happened?" Touma asked Mikoto.

"They purposely disabled Thunder Shock to protect Hawlucha," Mikoto hissed, her eyes focused on the battle. "It's going to limit my moves."

"Don't you still have Electro Ball?" Touma asked.

"Yeah, but I want to save it for when the time is right or I risk getting it disabled too."

"Those attacks had guts behind it and that flamethrower burned hot!" Gunha called over to them. "Since you showed me yours, let me show you mine! Flamethrower!"

Hawlucha opened its mouth and a jet of fire flew down at them.

"Scatter!" Mikoto yelled frantically. Pikachu was much faster and bolted out of the way as the fire hit the ground and scattered. Charmeleon wasn't so lucky and got hit by some of the ricochet. The flames disappeared and Charmeleon appeared unhurt, though a little annoyed.

"Fire attacks won't do much to Charmeleon," Touma reassured her. He must have noticed the look on her face. "Don't worry."

"I wasn't," Mikoto lied. "Ranged attacks aren't working."

"Then let's get in close?"

Mikoto smiled.

"I was thinking the same thing."

"Dragon Claw!" Touma called out.

"Use Quick Attack to get in close," Mikoto ordered to Pikachu. "And be ready to switch!"

Charmeleon's claws glowed green as it charged forward. Pikachu, while faster, deliberately ran in a zigzag pattern to remain relatively close while leaving behind a glowing white trail.

"A full frontal assault?" Gunha asked. "I love it! Hawlucha take them head on with Dragon Rush!"

"Nightshade and keep that Pikachu from interfering!" Usko commanded. That didn't sound like the best strategy to Mikoto, especially after Gunha was so excited about a direct confrontation. Thinking about it, Usko probably was used to Gunha doing whatever he wanted. From what she saw, they had distinctively different personalities. This gave her an idea.

"Aim at Duskull!" She called out at Pikachu.

"Pika!"

Even though Mikoto couldn't understand Pikachu's exact words, that quick response was all that was needed. Duskull had started firing black beam streaked with dark red lines from its eyes. Pikachu had to focus on weaving in and out of the attacks as they collided into the arena floor. When Pikachu grew close, one last attack missed it by inches before Pikachu jumped up and head butted Duskull.

Or it would have, if Quick Attack wasn't a normal-type attack.

The force of Pikachu's jump caused it to move right through Duskull. Ghost-types were immune to normal and most fighting-type moves. This was elementary and something Mikoto should know. Everyone assumed that, even Touma. She could feel his disbelieving gaze on her, but that wasn't important. Shoot, she could feet her friends' disbelief all the way out on the field and Misaki's laughter. None of this was important though. What was important was the fight in front of her.

She had a plan.

"Iron Tail!" Mikoto shouted triumphantly.

Pikachu was now above and behind Duskull due to passing through its body. While spinning around in midair, Pikachu's tail began to glow white. Usko tried to call out a warning and Duskull was in the process of turning around, when the Iron Tail made direct contact with the back of Duskull's head. The blow sent Duskull plummeting toward the ground. If it had been solid, an explosion would have occurred when the body hit the ground. Instead, it passed into the ground before floating up into the air. The floating was erratic and it was obvious Duskull had taken a lot of damage. Pikachu fell to the ground and landed on all fours, looking proud of itself.

"Pikachu!"

"Great job!" Mikoto called out.

While this was going on, Charmeleon and Hawlucha collided. Both of them were using high attack powered dragon-type moves. A blue, dragon-shaped energy covered Hawlucha's body as it rushed forward, while a green aura covered Charmeleon's claws. Claws were brought down against the dragon aura and a burst of light formed followed by a shockwave. When the light faded, Charmeleon had been knocked back around six feet. Grooves on the ground from the claws on its feet showed it didn't do this willingly. Hawlucha had simply stopped where it had collided with its opponent. It then stood up straight and cross its arms.

"Impressive," Gunha yelled out to them. "That was the first time Hawlucha's Dragon Rush was stopped! And Misaka-san faking out Usko with a normal attack was top rate." Mikoto felt a hint of pride at his compliment, but quickly pushed it down. Overconfidence led to losing.

"I can't believe Charmeleon lost in raw power," Mikoto whispered to Touma. "Is he okay?"

"Looks more annoyed than anything," Touma replied. "Sogiita-san was right though. Duskull is probably on its last legs after that attack. One more well placed hit should defeat him."

"They will be expecting that," Mikoto pointed out. "Hawlucha's power is no joke. Being able to use that move… I didn't think Hawlucha could use dragon-type moves."

"I heard the announcers mention something like that about Flamethrower," Touma admitted. "But I heard a lot of Pokémon can use weird moves. I've seen a Gyarados use Flamethrower before." Mikoto frowned and focused on the background noise.

"…can't use Dragon Rush. How do you think Gunha Sogiita taught Hawlucha that ability?"

"Probably the same way he taught it Flamethrower," another announcer replied. "Either _a lot_ of training or maybe an evolutionary trait of this particular Hawlucha…" Mikoto tuned them out after that.

"Hawlucha should still have two moves we haven't seen yet," Mikoto warned. "So be on guard. Let's wait for an opening to take out Duskull and focus on Hawlucha."

"A good of plan as any." Touma caught Charmeleon's eye and nodded. Charmeleon returned the gesture and turned back to the fight. "Smokescreen!" Charmeleon spun around and swiped its tail in an arc. A cloud of thick black smoke rose from the flame and began to obscure the field between the two teams. "Get ready, Biribiri."

"Idiot!" She snapped. "I told you not to call me that." Even though she said that, a grin couldn't be stopped from forming on her face. "And I'm always ready."

"Flamethrower!" Gunha yelled and a jet of flame swept through the smoke. The attack didn't reach Pikachu or Charmeleon, but it was being used to clear the smoke while also preventing them from getting close.

"Thunder Shock!" Mikoto directed Pikachu. "Where the Flamethrower is coming from!"

"Piikkaachuu!" A bolt of electricity flew through the smoke and the outline of Hawlucha appeared. She couldn't tell if it was a direct hit or not, but as a flying type, even a glancing blow could do a significant amount of damage.

 _Perfect,_ Mikoto thought and silently fist pumped. _We got this._

"Look out!"

Touma's shouting brought her back to her senses and she looked around in alarm. She was too focused on Hawlucha that she missed the shadow extending across the ground from under the smoke.

"Shadow Sneak!" Usko commanded.

The shadow rose from behind Pikachu and an arm extended. Mikoto never had a chance to cry out in warning as Pikachu was struck from behind and sent flying. It was so fast, only Touma noticed but couldn't react.

"Pikachu!" She cried out. To her relief, Pikachu rolled over from its back and leapt up to its feet. "Let's watch out for that attack. It's too fast to dodge if we don't notice it coming. By now, the smoke was almost completely gone.

"Will-O-Wisp!" Usko's voice rang out again and a dozen bluish flames appeared in the air. A moment later, they flew at Pikachu.

"Intercept it, Charmeleon!" Touma yelled and Charmeleon rushed forward to stand between Pikachu and the fire. When the flames hit Charmeleon, there was no sign of any damage.

"Good call," Mikoto thanked Touma. "Will-O-Wisp inflicts burns, but doesn't affect fire-types."

"Oh… that's good?"

"You didn't know?!" Mikoto turned toward him incredulously.

"I thought it was some kind of fire attack," he replied sheepishly. "Charmeleon wouldn't take much damage compared to Pikachu." Mikoto really wanted to facepalm there. From the looks of it, Charmeleon wanted to too.

"High Jump Kick!"

Both of them were forced to divert their attention back to the battle. Having someone to talk to while battling could be really distracting, something they both were discovering first hand. Hawlucha emerged from the remaining smoke and flew directly at Charmeleon.

"Dodge to the side!" Mikoto yelled at Pikachu, whose speed would allow it to dodge the attack with ease from this distance. High Jump Kick was a powerful damaging move, but would damage the user if it missed. It was a true double-edged sword. She glanced over at Touma. _Surely he knows this._ Curiously, he didn't seem to be panicking.

"Take it, Charmeleon!" Touma yelled and Charmeleon put its clawed hands out.

"What?!" Mikoto yelled in bewilderment.

"I'll leave it to you," Touma replied and Mikoto's mouth fell open when she realized what was about to happen.

Hawlucha slammed its glowing leg into Charmeleon's chest.

From the pained look in Charmeleon's eyes, the attack hit for massive damage. The force knocked Charmeleon back several feet, but somehow it remained standing. Charmeleon then wrapped its claws around Hawlucha and held it in a great bear hug. Hawlucha struggled, but was unable to escape.

"Do it now!" Touma told Mikoto.

"Why…? Argh! Idiot!" Mikoto turned to Pikachu. "Electro Ball Hawlucha, hurry!"

"Pika?"

"They gave us this chance!"

Determination showed in Pikachu's eyes as it jumped into the air. As it spun around, the ball of electricity appeared at the tip of its tail. Mikoto gritted her teeth as the ball flew at Hawlucha and Charmeleon. A direct attack against a flying type would be devastating. This was a gamble though. Hawlucha might pull through and Charmeleon might take too much damage to continue fighting. If that was the case, Mikoto would be fighting two on one. Touma appeared to believe in her and she wasn't going to let their team down.

"Intercept!"

Mikoto and Touma spun around as one to see a dark blur as Duskull moved in front of the Electro Ball. An explosion of light and sound went off when they collided. Duskull flew through the air, and landed on the ground, its eyes spinning.

"Duskull is unable to battle!" The referee announced and the crowd went wild. During the brief moment of confusion, as Mikoto processed what happened, Hawlucha kneed Charmeleon in the stomach and finally broke out of the hold. It jumped back and crossed his arm. The expression on its face was hard to read, but its eyes kept darting to Duskull. Mikoto believed it was impressed by the sacrifice.

"You used Duskull to save Hawlucha?" Touma asked, as if he couldn't believe it.

"Gunha is a much better fighter than I am," Usko explained as he recalled Duskull. "I wouldn't be able to take you two one, or even one of you, by myself. This way, we still have a chance to win." He grinned. "I may be a realist, but I still like winning."

"That was perhaps one of the most Gutsy moves I have ever seen," Gunha declared and slapped his friend on the back. "I won't let it go to waste. I'll finish this with Hawlucha's most powerful attack."

"Brace yourself," Touma warned.

"You don't have to tell me that," Mikoto hissed back. "After everything that's happened so far, we can't afford to let our guard down."

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"Charmeleon," Charmeleon muttered angrily. One of its hands was pressed against its stomach.

"Hawlucha!" Hawlucha declared, as it pumped out its chest.

"Hawlucha!" Gunha shouted out, his voice booming across the field. "Use Draco Meteor!"

"What?!" Mikoto and Touma shouted out at the same time and they weren't the only ones. A good number of the audience had similar reactions. At least, the ones who knew what Draco Meteor was.

It was one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, dragon-type moves.

 _NO!_ Mikoto screamed internally. _There is NO way Hawlucha should be able to use that move! What the hell did he do!?_

Hawlucha brought its hands together and an orb of orange energy appeared. Bringing its hands down first, Hawlucha threw the orb up into the sky. Mikoto watched as the orb flew high above them. It eventually stopped and twinkled like a star in the sky, until the light grew larger. An explosion range out and the single light became dozens. Each one of those lights started to fall down in a fiery fury.

"You have to dodge!" Mikoto yelled at Pikachu. "A single one of those could mark our loss! You have the speed to do it!"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded and then glanced at Charmeleon. "Pikachu?" Charmeleon waved a hand dismissively.

"We'll be fine," Touma reassured them. "We've been through worse."

"You have?" Mikoto asked, though an answer never came.

The rain of destruction reached the battlefield. Explosions erupted everywhere, sending clouds of smoke and dust into the air. Shockwaves rippled through the ground and Mikoto staggered. Touma reached out and grabbed her arm to help her stabilize. The crowd was cheering, gasping, and everything in between. Nothing could be seen of the field as at last, the meteors stopped and the wind began to blow the dust away.

"Pikachu!" Mikoto screamed out. "Answer me! Are you okay!" Silence lengthened. "Pikachu!"

"Pika…" A weak cry came through the dust and Mikoto nearly collapsed from relief.

"You made it," Mikoto whispered. "Thank Arceus."

The dust cleared and the carnage was even worse than she imagined. Craters pockmarked with craters and piles of rubbles. From one of the piles, Mikoto saw a little yellow, as Pikachu crawled out from under a couple rocks. Hawlucha stood on the only undamaged arena spot. Smoke still rose from a few places that were burned from the heat of the direct attacks, but it was cleared enough for her to see across the field to Gunha. However, there was no sign of Charmeleon on the field.

"Where is he?" Mikoto asked, seeing Touma looking around too.

"Come on," he muttered, not appearing to hear her. "You wouldn't get taken down by something like this."

"I was hoping to end the battle after that attack," Gunha declared. "This is a testament of your strength and guts that you are still standing. Now, Misaka-san. Let us finish this battle with everything we-…"

An enormous jet of flames erupted from a pile of rubble, interrupting him.

"About time!" Touma called out. "You had me worried there."

"He survived that…" Mikoto trailed off as Charmeleon emerged. He definitely looked bruised up by the attack, but something in its expression changed. The normal annoyed or bored expression was replaced by one of determination and anger. Its eyes seemed to glow red and the flame on its tail was twice the size of normal. "Is that the same Charmeleon?"

"Blaze," Touma told her. "It's his special ability. When his health gets low, fire attacks get a huge boost."

"Handy," Mikoto replied impressed.

"Wow!" Gunha called out. "That Charmeleon has more guts than I've seen in ages!"

"We aren't out of the woods yet," Touma warned Mikoto. "They aren't going to survive another attack like that. Does Draco Meteor have a drawback, like the recharge timer with Hyper Beam?"

"His special attack power will be reduced by a bit," Mikoto recalled. "So another Draco Meteor won't do nearly as much damage… Don't want to try to survive that though."

"Have Pikachu catch her breath," Touma advised. "Let Charmeleon take the stage for a bit. He's _fired_ up."

There was silence.

"I'm sorry."

"You better be," Mikoto growled.

"Charmeleon!" Touma called out. "Flamethrower! Keep Hawlucha on the defensive!"

"Show him your guts and counter with your own!" Gunha yelled.

The jets of fire from both Pokémon collided in the middle of the ruined arena. There was no explosion or scattering of flames when the attacks met, instead the difference in power was obvious. With Charmeleon's Flamethrower empowered by Blaze and Hawlucha's weakened after using Draco Meteor, one stream of fire was quickly engulfed by the others. A torrent of flames rushed over Hawlucha and, when it cleared, left it down on one knee and propping itself up with one of its hands.

"Incredible power!" Gunha complimented. "But it's not going to stop Hawlucha from reaching you. Dragon Rush!" Hawlucha was engulfed by the blue dragon shaped energy again and blasted forward at incredible speeds. Touma watched as the distance closed without blinking.

"Jump!" He ordered instantly. "And smack it down with Dragon Claw!"

At the last minute, Charmeleon leaped into the air right when Hawlucha reached him, dodging by a hairsbreadth. As Hawlucha passed under it, Charmeleon brought down a glowing green claw into its back. The force smashed it into the ground.

"High Jump Kick!" Hawlucha spun on the ground and leaped up to deliver a powerful blow into Charmeleon's gut before it could land, sending the reptile flying. "Gotcha!"

"Electro Ball!"

Distracted by the fierce, if brief, exchange of blows, neither Gunha nor Hawlucha were able to react in time to Mikoto's sudden attack. Pikachu fired the ball directly into the side of Hawlucha. Ripples of electricity flowed through its body as it was sent flying back too. A direct hit with a super effective attack had an obvious affect. However, it still wasn't enough to bring it down. Hawlucha rolled on the ground a few times before springing back up to its feet.

"How high of a level is that Hawlucha!" Mikoto demanded. "It takes blows like Rampardos!"

"Worry about that later!" Touma countered. "Worry about what's happening now!"

"Finish this battle with another round of Draco Meteor!" Gunha declared sticking a finger high into the sky.

 _What do we do?_ Mikoto though desperately. Charmeleon was picking itself up from the pile of debris it had been knocked into. Pikachu was panting heavily. As the orange energy collected in Hawlucha's hand, she really didn't have much choice. "Pikachu!" She yelled desperately. "You have to intercept the blow before he can fire it off!"

"Pika!"

Pikachu darted forward as if using Quick Attack. Both of them knew if Hawlucha got the attack off, they would lose. A ranged attack would be slightly faster, but there was a chance it wouldn't be enough to stop the attack. By using a melee attack, even if it wasn't enough to interrupt the Draco Meteor, there was a chance Pikachu could use its body to cause a premature explosion. Sort of like a suicide bomb. Mikoto seriously hoped it wouldn't come to that. If it did, they would still win because Charmeleon wasn't incapacitated. As Pikachu charged, Mikoto rubbed her eye to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

"What the…" She whispered to herself.

Pikachu was picking up speed, which wasn't unusual. What wasn't normal was the fact golden electricity was cloaking its entire body. When the electricity completely covered Pikachu's body, the normal yellow rodent appeared to have turned black and white.

"No way… Volt Tackle!"

Volt Tackle was a powerful electric-type move that also damaged the user in exchange for the power. Pikachu had learned a new move in the middle of the battle. Gunha and Touma were equally surprised as both forgot their own Pokémon as they watched. Hawlucha couldn't dodge, as it was gathering the energy needed to use its own attack and was forced to accept the head on charge.

A small explosion engulfed the two Pokémon as Hawlucha lost control.

Hawlucha went flying one way with Pikachu flying the other.

"Hawlucha!" Gunha yelled.

"Pikachu!" Mikoto cried. Both Pokémon landed with a thud and the referee was looking back and forth between the two. After a moment, Pikachu started to shakily push itself to its feet. The electricity covering its body might have protected it from some of the damage. Hawlucha, on the other hand, after taking a direct Volt Tackle and a premature Draco Meteor, did not.

"Hawlucha is unable to battle!" The referee declared and the crowd started cheering wildly. "The winner is Team Zapdos!"

"Pikachu!" Ignoring the crowd and the referee, Mikoto rushed out onto the field and picked up Pikachu. "Are you okay?"

"Pika…" Pikachu replied exhausted.

"You did amazing," Mikoto whispered. "We won thanks to you. Now let's go get you to the Pokémon Center to get you rested up." She turned to beam at Touma, who was recalling Charmeleon. He looked up and their eyes met, before he nodded with a smile of his own. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kuroko and the others cheering and waving excitedly. Gunha called back Hawlucha, but didn't seem that upset. Instead, he gave her a thumbs up as congratulations.

The day was going well and it was time for a well-deserved break.

* * *

"You're going to win the entire tournament!" Kuroko declared at their table. The morning rounds had ended and there was a two hour break before the afternoon ones started. 'I can feel it."

"She shouldn't get overconfident," Kazari reprimanded seriously. "The tournament just started and they have two rounds this afternoon."

"Not to say you don't have a good shot," Ruiko added quickly to Mikoto. Popplio looked up from its bowl.

"Huh?" Mikoto was leaning over the side of her chair to check on her Pokémon. Pikachu was resting at the Pokémon center, but the rest were eating from bowls around them. Magnemite had finished early and was buzzing around her head. After finishing giving Jolteon and Shinx a quick scratch behind the ears, she turned to Magnemite. "I know you want to see your friend and play, but you have to wait until after the tournament." Magnemite's expression grew somber and Mikoto patted its head gently. "Sorry." She said as she turned toward her friends. "What were you talking about?"

"Your chances at winning the tournament," Kuroko explained and briefly took a look at Kadabra and Beedrill sitting in the corner of the restaurant. There wasn't enough room by the tables for larger Pokémon. Kazari's Gloom was sleeping over there too. Tropius was safe in its pokeball due to the disturbance it was bound to cause.

"You seem distracted," Ruiko commented carefully.

"Ah, maybe a little," Mikoto admitted. "The last battle was tough and it's only round two. The new few are going to be even harder. Just wondering if we have a chance at winning."

"Well," Kazari started to say and everyone turned towards her. "Not every team is going to be the same level at these tournaments. The team that ends up winning could knock out a strong team in the first round. For all you know, a bunch of newer trainers were facing each other and round three might be easier for you and Kamijou-san."

"Didn't we see some strong teams though?" Ruiko asked and yelped as Kuroko kicked her under the table.

"A couple strong teams will just help you become better," Kuroko explained. "You already showed everyone that you and Pikachu are strong. Plus, Pikachu also just learned a new move."

"Volt Tackle," Mikoto repeated, more to herself. "It's powerful, but Pikachu had to forget Electro Ball to use it. I kind of liked it since it was effective against slower Pokémon. Can't argue it was needed in that last match though."

"It's always exciting to see Pokémon evolve or use a new move in the middle of a battle," Ruiko reminisced. "We watched several matches where a trainer was cornered and pulled out a surprising upset."

"Happened a couple weeks ago, actually," Kazari added.

"Pikachu can only evolve with a Thunder Stone," Kuroko told them. "So unless the ape's Charmeleon evolves…"

"…It's going to be one of the other teams," Mikoto finished. "Honestly, I don't want that to happen. Anyone catch the next team we are up against? I missed it after the excitement."

"Eh…" Kuroko trailed off and looked at the other two, who also looked worried. Mikoto raised an eyebrow and then grew worried.

 _Are we facing someone I know or is the team strong?_ She sighed and looked at her friends. "Tell me. It's better I prepare myself now."

"It's a pair of sisters," Kazari explained. "They are the ones who use the Solrock and Lunatone."

"Ah... not good." Mikoto sunk in her chair. "Those two were amazing and their teamwork perfect."

"You'll do great, onee-sama," Kuroko reassured her with a pat on the back. "They are rock-types, but not ground. Electric-type moves will work fine on them."

"Suppose we were bound to come across a team like them eventually," Mikoto sighed. "I'm going to take a walk to clear my head."

"I'll come," Kuroko said quickly, rising out of her chair.

"Rather have some time to myself," Mikoto clarified and Kuroko froze. She rubbed her temples. "It's not you, Kuroko. I just want some quiet while we have downtime. All the noise is getting to me." Kazari nodded sympathetically.

"We understand," Ruiko said to Mikoto. "When I showed my Unown to my class, everyone freaked out over it."

"Then the classes next door found out," Kazari added. "She was barraged with people asking about it."

"Point is," Ruiko interrupted. "Too many people paying attention to you tires you out. We will make sure Shirai-san doesn't get tempted to follow."

"Hey!" Kuroko protested indignantly.

"Thanks." Mikoto recalled her Pokémon and left the restaurant. _It's going to be a long day._

* * *

There was quite a difference between an arena full of people and an empty one. Well, there were a few people scattered around, but it wasn't nearly as noisy as it was during the matches. Mikoto was just mulling around, waiting for Pikachu to finish resting, and thinking about the matches ahead. Being alone with her thoughts turned out to be a mistake, as she kept dreading the worst.

 _Everyone's going to see if I mess up,_ Mikoto thought anxiously. _This isn't some class match in front of a few people. It's being televised. What if I make a fool out of myself? Kuroko will stick with me, but will my classmates be so nice? Shokuhou-san would never let me forget it, that's for sure. Would Kamijou drop me as a failure?_ She blinked as that thought rushed through her head.

Both of her hands slapped her cheeks.

"What am I thinking?" Mikoto muttered out loud. "I always do this. I get nervous and blow everything out of proportion. If I do my best, no one can think badly of me. Even if they do, who cares what they think? I can get better." She smiled, though her cheeks still hurt. "And that idiot doesn't seem like he could hate anyone." She laughed. "If Shokuhou-san tries anything, I'll just have to make sure Shinx beats her Feebas. Maybe have Magnemite help out with his training. They both got sidelined while training for this tournament."

A ringing sound interrupted her alone time.

 _That better not be Kuroko asking where I am,_ Mikoto thought and then immediately felt guilty. She knew her best friend was just worried and probably wanted to wish her luck. Mikoto pulled out her phone and looked at the caller ID. It wasn't Kuroko and Mikoto's eyes widened a little in surprise.

"Hi, honey!"

"Hello, mom," Mikoto replied. "What's up?"

"Oh, your sisters and I just saw your match," her mother replied from the other end. "We're so proud of you. That was a wonderful performance."

"Thanks."

"Is something wrong, dear?"

"Huh?" Mikoto was surprised. "W-why do you say that?"

"You don't sound nearly as excited as I expected you to be," her mother explained simply. "I expected you to tell me all about the fight."

"You said you saw it." Mikoto lamely tried to dismiss her accusations.

"You can't fool me."

"Fine." Mikoto sighed. Her mother was very perceptive in these matters and nothing could be hidden from her for very long. "That last match was great. Pikachu learned a brand new move in the middle of it too! I haven't had that much fun in ages. It's just, it was a tough battle. It's just going to get harder from here on out and what happens if I mess up?"

"Then you learn from your mistake and be better prepared for the next one," her mother answered simply. "Mikoto, you're a smart and talented girl. There's nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it, but there are many talented people in the world. You have to work hard, experience setbacks, and grow to be the best you can be. Regardless what happens, I'm proud of how far you've come."

"Thanks, mom."

"Feel better?"

"I do."

"Good, now that that is settled." Her mother sounded amused. "Tell me a little about that boy you've partnered with."

"Kamijou?" Mikoto asked confused.

"Yes," her mother prodded. "How did you meet? I can't see you randomly finding an older boy as a partner."

"We ran into each other outside of the city," Mikoto explained. "Ran into some trouble with an Ursaring but worked together to escape. He's really strong and doesn't look down at my love for electric-types. After that, we randomly met up again and I asked him to join the mentorship program Academy City offers. You know, where an older student teaches a younger one. I learned a lot working with him." She laughed. "He has the weirdest Pokémon besides Charmeleon. They rarely listen to him except for his Lucario."

"Wow, a Lucario? That's a pretty rare Pokémon."

"I know, right? It was a Riolu originally. It evolved in a battle with one of my classmates." Mikoto laughed again. "That was a site to behold. He never wanted to participate in the tournament, you know? I wanted to but normally a middle schooler can't participate. I could with an older student."

"So he joined in order to let you?" Mikoto frowned at the tone of her mother's voice. There was a trace of amusement, but also something more she couldn't identify.

"His classmate helped a little," Mikoto continued. "But, yeah. He did. We practiced quite a bit to get where we are now."

"Did you practice with just the two of you?" Her voice was obviously gleeful now.

"Some of my friends helped," Mikoto explained. "We could hardly practice a two on two match being on opposite teams."

"True." Her mother paused for a moment, thinking about something. "I'm glad you found someone. Your earlier calls about not finding anyone who understands you enough to participate in that program was worrying. I received an email from your school asking me for recommendations, but I told them to leave it up to you."

"That… thank you?" Mikoto was surprised her mother did that. Normally, she loved to pry into her personal life.

"From the way you talk about this boy, he seems nice."

"Heh, he is. The only downside I've seen is he complains about his luck quite a bit." Mikoto couldn't help herself and laughed.

"As a mother, I have to ask… what is this boy to you?"

"Huh?" Mikoto didn't expect that. "Well… he's more than just a mentor, I suppose? I definitely consider him a friend."

"You don't have many male friends," her mother pointed out.

"I go to an all-girls' school," Mikoto replied dryly and rolled her eyes. "The ones I normally meet either want to battle or are creeps trying to hit on Kuroko and me."

"I kind of wish you went to a coed school, but I could hardly say no when you got into Tokiwadai."

"I'm glad I went," Mikoto told her. "Kuroko's like my best friend and I'm learning a lot."

"Oh, before I forget, there is one other thing I called you about besides congratulations." Her mother paused. "We are thinking about enrolling your younger sister into Tokiwadai next year."

"Really?" Mikoto's mouth fell open.

"Thanks to you being enrolled, we get a big discount. We are going to be in town for a few days to fill out some paperwork and discuss about a scholarship. I know she would love to see you again, and so would I. Maybe you could show her around after school?"

"Of course!" Mikoto loved her sister and it would be great to see her again. Ever since she enrolled at Tokiwadai, she lived in the dorms and didn't get to see her family much. "I'll make time. Let me know when you're about to arrive, I'll meet you wherever!"

"No skipping school," her mother scolded lightly.

"Haha. I won't!" Mikoto looked at the time. "Sorry to cut this short, but I have to get going. Love you!"

"Love you too, sweetheart. Say hi to your boyfriend for me too."

"He's not my-…!" it was too late, as she heard the heard the clicking of the phone disconnecting. "Honestly, she's as bad as Kuroko!" She pocketed her phone and headed toward the Pokémon center. "Sheesh. Why can't people just be happy I have a friend who's a boy? Sure, he's great and I like spending time… with… him." She froze and shook her head.

 _Bad thoughts. You're not into him like that. Mom and Kuroko just keep putting those stupid thoughts in your head. Ignore them and worry about it later. For now, let's go get Pikachu!_

* * *

"Pikachu!"

As soon as Mikoto walked into the Pokémon center, she was greeted by her favorite fuzzy yellow rodent. Pikachu jumped into her arms and started nuzzling her cheek with its own.

"Aww, I missed you too!" Mikoto could feel the slight tingling of electricity from Pikachu. It wasn't enough to hurt and just strong enough to feel nice. "You ready for the next round? After that last battle, you're ready for anything, aren't you?"

"Pika pi!" Pikachu saluted and Mikoto laughed.

"Kuroko's waiting outside," Mikoto said. "She's been worried about you too." She opened her arms and Pikachu jumped down to the ground. They walked outside and the second they stepped out, Kuroko appeared like magic.

"Everything okay?" she asked nervously.

"More than you know." Mikoto put her arm around her shoulders. "Thanks for worrying about us. It means a lot. Pikachu's at full health and I worked through my stage fright. Well, enough to go out there again."

"We will be cheering from the front row," Kuroko replied. "So give it your all and we will celebrate regardless of the outcome!"

"That sounds nice," Mikoto agreed. "Oh, my mom called today."

"Oh?"

"She's coming to visit with my little sister to get her enrolled in Tokiwadai."

"Really? A younger version of you? I bet she's adorable!"

"That reminds me." Mikoto foresaw a problem and decided to immediately put a stop to it. "You will not, under any circumstances, harass her like me. No stealing underwear, surprise attacks in the bathroom, anything. Understand?!"

"Y-yes."

"Good." Mikoto relaxed and smiled. "Yes, she's cute and she likes hugs. So you can do that." That brightened up Kuroko's expression instantly. " _Just_ hugs. Nothing else." Kuroko nodded quickly. "Great, let's go find Uiharu-san and Saten-san. I want to see them before I find the idiot."

"You promise next tournament I can be your teammate, right?"

"I promise."

The two of them made their way through the crowd toward the area. Kuroko trying to keep Mikoto's spirits up with compliments and reassurement, while Mikoto was thinking about her family coming to visit.

 _I wonder if dad will come. He's always traveling due to work. Please don't let her come though. She's the worst._

* * *

 **Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.**

 **This chapter is a little shorter than the last few, but this spot was a good place to end before the third round. There is some foreshadowing of the events to transpire after the tournament arc ends.**

 **Magnemite: So, what's it like to learn a new move in the middle of a battle?**

 **Pikachu: It's kind of like when we learn a new one. You just sort of know how to use it. The weirdest part is going with the flow without a full understanding of what's going to happen.**

 **Jolteon: I remember that feeling when I evolved and learned Thunder Shock, but I wasn't fighting, so the transition was easier.**

 **Magnemite: Ah, that makes sense. Do you think our trainer's friend's Ditto experiences that when it transforms?**

 **Pikachu: I don't know.**

 **Shinx: Can… can we not talk about Ditto right now?**

 **Chinchou: Still remembering that little talk? Hehe.**

 **Shinx: I want to forget!**


End file.
